


That Guy Next Door

by heelnev



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Parents, Anal Sex, Anniversary, Baking, Blow Jobs, First Dates, First Kiss, First Meetings, First Time, Holiday Shenanigans, Love Confessions, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parenthood, Pining, Post-Divorce, Sibling Rivalry, Single Parents, austin really had to start actin like That right as i finish uploading this fic huh, god for a sec i didn't think there was a parent au tag on here and i was gonna be so confused, listen. listen i know wade/austin is a weird pairing okay i kn OW I GET IT BUT HEAR ME O U T, mischief involving bears, mischief involving sparklers, or maybe i should say: Oddly Sensual Baking, talk of marriage, the fic is rated M but everything except for one chapter is T
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-05-26 22:31:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 67,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15010844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heelnev/pseuds/heelnev
Summary: "yo""do me a favor when you get home""i can see there’s someone new moving in next door""introduce all of us to him plz n thx"Single parent Neville was convinced that he would never find love again following his divorce. Little did he realize just how much these four texts from Wade would change his life.





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> I?? can't believe I'm actually uploading this?? When I first started writing this fic I legit never thought I'd reach the point where it's actually COMPLETED and can be posted on AO3. I'm so excited, and I hope you all enjoy this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it!!

The more that time passed, the more it seemed like Neville was never going to be able to escape this stupid little office.

He was never going to get away from his desk. From his computer. From his phone that never seemed to want to stop ringing for thirty goddamn seconds. From the sounds of his co-workers typing away on their own keyboards. From his boss who almost _always_ seemed to have some new, pointless assignment for him to complete whenever he passed by his cubicle. Such were the woes of working for such a big company…

He told himself that this job was only temporary. Every day he would remind himself that he was only going to be there until he was back on his feet following his divorce. As difficult as this was, it wasn’t going to last forever.

But then a time where he was financially secure enough to start looking for a different job arose, and Neville didn’t jump on the opportunity to leave. He had wanted to stick around for awhile longer to make sure he had completed everything, so that the poor bastard who took this secretary -- no, _administrative assistant_ \-- position after him wouldn’t be swamped with missed deadlines and unfinished projects. He didn’t mind staying for a few more days.

Those days turned to weeks. Those weeks turned to months. Those months turned to years.

It had been almost three fucking years since he had the chance to quit, and yet there Neville was, still typing out emails and arranging appointments for higher-ups who couldn’t give any less of a shit about him if they tried.

Sometimes he would stop while in the middle of working, staring intently at his mouse cursor, debating just walking out and leaving this hell behind and never looking back. No one appreciated him. It would make more sense to go elsewhere, wouldn’t it? Where he wouldn’t have to work unnecessarily long hours just to earn a decent pay? Where a boss would actually seem _grateful_ for the work that he puts in?

It was as he would have these thoughts, however, that he would catch sight of the pictures resting next to his computer monitor -- those of two little girls, smiling at the camera and looking so full of life.

 _His_ little girls.

The older one was Jennifer, though she was only ever called that when she was in serious trouble (which wasn’t often, now that Neville thought about it) -- otherwise, she was simply known as Jen. She was definitely more like her mother, from having the same light brown hair to the same headstrong personality. Though she was only nine, she was incredibly independent -- almost _too_ independent, however, as she was often too stubborn to ask for help when she was in tough situations.

Then there was Daisy -- ‘Daddy’s favorite,’ as she claimed whenever Neville would do something nice for her (even if he had also done the same thing for Jen). She was six, and even at such a young age she was already showing signs of being just like her father. That is to say, she was becoming a bit of a smartass. True to the little sibling stereotype, she essentially _lived_ to spite Jen, always making sure to say whatever it was she least wanted to hear just so that she could appreciate her over-the-top reactions.

These two lovely children were depending on him. Neville couldn’t quit and risk losing out on money when he knows that they’re counting on him to take care of them.

With that thought in mind, he continued typing.

* * *

 If he was lucky, then Neville’s drive from the office back to his home was relatively short, the traffic scarce despite it technically being rush hour.

Unfortunately, that day was _not_ his lucky day.

Despite never actually having met the driver of the minivan that he was stuck behind, Neville felt like he was deeply familiar with their personal life, considering the amount of bullshit on the back of it. There was a stick figure family decal on the back window -- a father, a mother, two little boys, and one little girl. Down on the bumper there were multiple stickers proudly announcing to the world that there were two honors students in the family. _What about the third kid?_ Neville found himself thinking, fingers tapping impatiently on the steering wheel. _Are they not good enough for a sticker?_

His phone vibrated in the cup holder next to him, and he glanced down at it for a moment before focusing back on the road, pulling up a little once the traffic started to move. He heard the phone vibrate a second time. A third time. By the time the fourth vibration occurred, Neville looked back down at the device and took it in his hands, wondering just what in the hell was so urgent that it required sending that many messages.

Then again, considering that the only person who ever texted him nowadays was Wade, there was no way it was actually anything of substance.

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** yo

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** do me a favor when you get home

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** i can see there’s someone new moving in next door

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** introduce all of us to him plz n thx

Typical. Wade was once again trying to get Neville to do something for him. It seemed like all that Wade had done since moving into the downstairs apartment in Neville’s house was try to butter him up for something. _That man truly has not changed since college…_

Though Neville ribbed Wade for his tactics, even going as far as to jokingly refer to him as a freeloader in his phone, the truth was that he didn't have any negative feelings towards him at all. In fact, he was actually incredibly grateful for him. Wade had been employed when he moved into Neville’s home after his divorce, but he’d been laid off not too long after, and he’d had no success finding a job ever since. It seemed like every time things were looking up for him and he might have found something other than the occasional odd job, the position was always given to someone else, and as such he was never able to pay his share of that month’s rent.

He was always willing to babysit whenever Neville needed him to, however -- which was fairly often, seeing as his job sometimes required that he stay late at the office. Had it not been for him, Neville would have had to worry about paying a sitter on top of all of the bills and everything else. Difficult as things may be, he was glad to have a close friend like Wade.

 _Someone actually bought that house, though?_ Neville thought. _It’s been on the market for ages._ He could only vaguely remember the small family that used to live there before they abruptly moved because of the father’s job. Though the last thing that Neville wanted to do was give Wade what he wanted, he had to admit that he was just as curious as he was about this new neighbor…

 

 **Me:** And why should I do that? Can’t you go over there yourself?

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** your texting while you’re supposed to be driving??

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** dangerous

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** tsk tsk

 **Me:** *you’re

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** SHUT UP

 **Me:** Also I’m in traffic, asshole. Now tell me why you can’t do it yourself?

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** because i just woke up from a nap and have a killer headache and am in no mood to actually socialize

 **Me:** What makes you think I’M in the mood to socialize? I just had a long day at work.

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** because you’re the cuter one between the two of us and it would be better if he saw your pretty face instead of mine

 **Wade “Freeloader” Barrett:** you could win over anyone with those eyes of yours

 

It was at that moment that Neville placed his phone back down in the cup holder -- partially because the traffic was beginning to move and he needed to start driving again, though mainly because he’d read enough. Wade _always_ tried to compliment him whenever he was too lazy to do something for himself, and Neville was ashamed to admit that this strategy worked more often than not.

This time was going to be different, however. After a long day of typing away at his desk and going straight into bumper-to-bumper traffic, it was going to take a lot more than some sweet talking to get him to introduce himself to a total stranger.

* * *

 Neville finally pulled into his driveway about fifteen minutes later, turning the car off and leaning back against the seat with a sigh. Somewhere along the way it had started raining, the droplets of rain tapping rhythmically against the windshield. He loved the rain -- that is, when he didn’t actually have to go walking through it. It was a short walk from the car to the front door. Even so, he was not looking forward to getting wet…

As he gathered his bearings, he took a quick look out of the passenger side window, and he noticed that there was a light on inside of the house next door, and there was an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway. _So Wade was telling the truth when he said that there was a new neighbor. Wonder what their story is._

The neighborhood that Neville lived in wasn’t bad by any means, but he didn’t think that it was an area that anybody would want to willingly move into. Most of the residents tended to keep to themselves, the extent of their interactions with one another being a quick ‘hello’ and nothing more. Wouldn’t someone looking for a place to start their new life look for someplace more interesting? Whoever this new person was must have had no other options.

...Then again, it wasn’t like Neville really cared about what this new person thought. He had more important things to worry about then whatever was going on in their mind.

Neville resigned himself to his damp fate and exited the car, making sure to lock it before trekking through the rain and up the front stops until he reached the door. Despite it being closed, he could hear what sounded like a commotion inside -- just what he needed after the day he’d had. _What are they fighting over_ **_now_ ** _?_ He clicked his tongue and opened the door, bracing himself for whatever the latest controversy was.

“Jen, you said yourself that you didn’t care if she ate your leftovers or not.” The first voice that Neville heard was that of Wade, who was clearly trying to mediate an argument between the two girls, standing in front of Jen while Daisy hid behind his back.

“I said I didn’t _want_ them! I never said _she_ could have them!” Jen had her arms crossed.

“I never ate them, though!” Daisy peeked out from behind Wade, clutching his shirt, dark brown curls falling over her face. “I swear! Why would I want something that _you_ touched?”

“Uh… Hello?” Neville decided to speak up, prompting the three of them to look over in his direction.

“Daddy!!” Daisy let go of Wade and went charging towards him, now opting to hide behind him instead (and prompting a “What, am I not a good enough shield for you?” from Wade). “Jen’s bullying me again!”

“I am not!” Jen insisted. “She’s the one that did something wrong! She ate my food!”

Of all the ridiculous arguments that these two could have had, they had to have one over chicken tenders? Were fights over toys going out of style? “Okay, listen,” Neville started. “Jen, you _did_ say that you didn’t mind if someone else ate them. And Daisy, you shouldn’t insinuate that anything your sister touches is dirty.”

Daisy blinked at him. Neville couldn’t imagine why she looked so confused, seeing as he made a perfectly good point.

“Nev,” Wade said. “She’s six. I don’t think she knows what ‘insinuate’ means.”

“Right… Okay, how about this -- don’t _say_ that anything she touches is dirty. There, is that better?”

Daisy nodded this time. Neville knew her too well, though. It may appear as if she understood, but in reality she was plotting her next move. Chances are she had plenty more insults ready to unleash the moment that Neville’s back was turned.

Jen made a disgusted sound and stormed into the hallway, bounding up the stairs towards her room. Now that her enemy had disappeared, Daisy deemed it safe enough to emerge from hiding, heading towards the kitchen. Neville pushed his glasses up his nose as he watched her go. “How did that argument even start, anyway?” He asked.

“Hell if I know.” Wade shrugged. “I was minding my own business when Daisy came running in here claiming that Jen was going to kill her. Again.”

“Did she even eat the leftovers?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Then who…” He squinted at Wade. “ _You_ ate them, didn’t you?”

“...Maybe…”

“Of _course_ you did.” Neville sat down on the couch, rubbing at his temples.

“What, did you expect me to speak up? Angry Jen isn’t fun to deal with. The last thing I wanted was to be on the receiving end of her wrath. She _clearly_ got that gene from you.”

“Ha ha, very funny.”

Wade took a seat next to him. “Enough about that, though. What happened with the new guy next door?”

“I didn’t talk to him.”

“What?” He looked disappointed. “Not even after I asked you so nicely?”

“Trying to get me to do something for you by buttering me up isn’t always going to work, Wade. I told you that I had a long day today and I wasn’t up for introductions. I’ll get around to it when I’m not exhausted.”

Wade huffed, propping his feet up on the coffee table (and having them shoved off by Neville a few seconds later). “All I’m trying to do is help you get back out there…”

Neville looked at him, eyes narrow. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, did I say that out loud? Oops.” Wade was acting as if that were an accident, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he’d clearly meant for Neville to hear him.

“What do you mean that you’re trying to help me ‘get back out there’?”

“Well, y’know…” Wade began to play with his nails, avoiding Neville’s gaze. “I thought you and the cute new guy next door might want to chat for awhile, maybe hang out sometime, that’s all.”

“You-- Wait, you actually want me to _date_ this guy? This guy who I’ve never even met? Are you kidding me?” Neville had learned so much about Wade in the years that they’d known each other, but never once had he shown any interest in trying to play matchmaker. “Why do you want this so badly?”

“I just thought it would be nice! I know you’ve been lonely lately--”

“And just how would you know that?”

“Nev, I’ve been your friend since college. I’ve been living with you ever since you and Marina split. The last few years have been rough for you romance-wise, and it’s obvious that it’s taken a toll on you.”

Neville swallowed at the mention of his wife’s name. “How do you _know_?” He repeated, growing a little impatient.

“I feel like I hardly ever see you smile anymore,” Wade continued. “It’s not that you _never_ smile, it’s just… genuinely happy smiles are pretty rare for you these days. I thought that maybe finding you a nice guy to hang out with would help lift your spirits a bit -- and who knows, something great could come out of this. You should give him a chance.”

Neville knew that he was probably being rude, but he still rolled his eyes, shaking his head and once again pushing his glasses up his nose. He knew that Wade didn’t mean any harm. He was one of the few truly good people that Neville knew, and he would never do anything to hurt him.

This, on the other hand, while it didn’t hurt him by any means, was on a whole different level. “Wade, listen… I understand that you’re just trying to help,” Neville started. “I appreciate that you’re looking out for me. But I know I’ve told you before that I’m not interested in finding a partner at the moment. I have a family to support, and I don’t have time to be fooling around with romance right now.”

“Okay…” Wade’s shoulders drooped. “Sorry if it seemed like I was forcing you into something that you didn’t want.”

“No need to apologize.” Neville stood up from the couch, stretching. “I gotta go get changed. These clothes are so damn uncomfortable.”

“It’s times like these where I’m almost glad I don’t work,” Wade commented, watching Neville as he made to leave the room. “Otherwise I’d have to wear stuff like _that_.”

“I envy you, I won’t lie.”

Neville arrived at the top of the steps and started to make his way down the hallway. He briefly stopped in front of the door to the girls’ room, knowing that Jen was most likely still stewing inside. He knew that she would get over it eventually, but it still bothered him knowing that she was angry with the wrong person. _Maybe once she calms down we can tell her… Though Wade will probably be scared shitless while we do it._

He continued down the hall and made it to his own room, taking off his jacket and tossing it onto the bed. He was about to start undoing the buttons on his shirt when he noticed that the window was open, and he let out a little annoyed noise. _Great, now the floor is wet…_

It was when he went over to close it that he once again caught sight of the house next door -- in particular, his eye was drawn to the window. He could see that there was someone moving around inside, but he was only able to see his back. _There he is, the man of my dreams… or so I’ve been told._

Neville wasn’t in the mood to be accused of being a creeper, so he quickly shut the window and closed the blinds, resuming his undressing. Whoever the hell this new guy was, he wasn’t interested in watching what he assumed were his dinner preparations (nor was he willing to strip right where he could see it).

* * *

For all the complaints that Neville had about his job, there was one thing about it that he _did_ like -- the fact that he was able to work from home on Fridays.

He was set up at the kitchen table, lazily scrolling through the emails that were gradually piling up in his inbox. Most of them didn’t even concern him -- in the beginning they were about figuring out what time would work best for everyone for the next meeting, now most of them were people debating which day of the week would be better between Monday and Tuesday. _I’m stuck in that office anyway regardless of the day, so what does it even matter?_ Neville thought to himself, taking a sip from his coffee mug as he went to work deleting some of the messages.

“What a sight to behold.” Neville looked up from the screen and found that Wade had entered the room. “You’re still sitting here working and drinking from that ‘World’s Okayest Dad’ mug. Don’t you think you should give yourself a break?”

“I already took my break earlier,” Neville replied just as he heard another chime ring out from his laptop -- the meeting would officially be on Monday, despite numerous complaints. _Incoming shitstorm._

“Take another one. What’s stopping you? It’s not like anyone can tell that you’re not working.”

“They’ll tell when I’m not responding to any of their emails.”

“So if you don’t respond immediately after they send it to you then they’ll know that you’re slacking off? Sounds rough. Glad I’m not working there.”

“You’re not working, _period_.”

“Exactly, and who would want to with _those_ regulations?” Wade went to the fridge and dug around inside until he came back with a bottle of water, unscrewing the cap and taking a sip. “Hey, where are the girls? I haven’t seen them all afternoon.”

“Outside in the yard.” Neville nodded his head in the direction of the back door. “I’m surprised they’ve been playing for so long without getting into a fight.” Right as Neville finished saying that, he heard a thud and the unmistakable sound of Daisy yelling “Ow!” “Ah, I see I spoke too soon.”

A few moments later, both girls stumbled into the kitchen through the back door. “Daddy, Daisy threw the ball over the fence again,” Jen complained, elbowing her sister in the side.

“Ow-- It wasn’t _my_ fault! She was the one who threw it.”

“You said you were ready for me to throw it!”

“No I didn’t!”

“Yes you did! Daddy, didn’t you hear her say she was ready? She’s lying again--”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough,” Neville interrupted her before she could say anything more, and he pushed back his chair. “You two head back outside and wait in the yard. I’ll go get the ball for you.”

Jen and Daisy looked at each other before they both walked back outside, the two of them getting into a brief scuffle in the doorway since they couldn’t decide which of the two of them got to go through first (Jen ultimately won by reminding Daisy of who the older sibling was). Neville pinched the bridge of his nose once they were gone, letting out a sigh. “What am I going to do with them…”

“Well, you can start by getting their ball,” Wade said.

Neville made a little frustrated noise and stood up, though it was as he was about to leave that he noticed the cocky smirk on Wade’s face. “What’s up with you?”

“Nev, how did you get the ball the last time they threw it over the fence?” he asked, leaning back against the counter.

“Uh… I went into the yard and got it?”

“You realize you can’t do that anymore, right? Since there’s now someone living there. That’s trespassing.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is that you’re going to have to get the new neighbor’s permission to go back there and get it. You two are finally going to meet.”

“Oh God, are you still on this?” Neville huffed. “I told you that I’m not interested in being in a relationship right now. Let it _go_.”

“I never said you had to date him. Just that you’re gonna be meeting for the first time.”

“Maybe so, but I know you’re _thinking_ it.” He waggled his finger at him. “And let me tell you this: I’m going to go next door, ask for the ball back, and then come right back here. No bullshit, no stopping inside for coffee or whatever, no _nothing_. You got that?”

“Whatever you say, mate.” Wade still didn’t look entirely convinced, but he didn’t press the issue any further and left the kitchen, leaving Neville all by himself.

 _What a pain in the ass…_ Neville shook his head as he watched Wade retreat downstairs. He waited until he was gone before exiting into the hallway and walking towards the front door.

The moment that the early-August heat hit his face, Neville immediately regretting going outside. _God, how have those kids been playing out here for all this time?_ He despised the thought of meeting his new neighbor while drenched in sweat, so he decided to stop wasting time and briskly started the trek over to the house next door.

“It won’t take him much longer, calm down!” Neville could hear the faint sound of Jen reprimanding her sister from his own yard.

“We’ve been waiting foreverrrrr…” Naturally, the next voice he heard was that of Daisy.

_Five minutes. It’s been five minutes since they asked. At most._

Neville looked up at the house that was now in front of him, and he marched up to the door with authority, determined not to let Wade’s nonsense get in the way of what he came here to do. He didn’t come here to flirt or do anything of that nature -- he was _not_ going to let the wannabe matchmaker that lived in his basement cloud his judgement.

He rang the doorbell and took a step back, crossing his arms and waiting for some sort of response. He could still hear the sounds of Daisy and Jen bickering from the yard. He debated taking out his phone and asking Wade to keep an eye on them, but it was right as he reached for his pocket that the door opened.

“Hi, I’m—” Neville stopped himself once he got a good look at the man now standing in the doorway, his mouth hanging open slightly.

“Um… How can I help you?” The man asked, brown eyes narrowed in confusion, like he couldn’t figure out why this stranger was gaping at him on his doorstep. It was those same eyes that Neville found himself suddenly lost in, momentarily forgetting just why the hell he was there in the first place. _That’s a good question -- how_ **_can_ ** _you help me?_

Neville cleared his throat, shaking his head and snapping himself out of his trance. “Excuse me, I’m sorry to bother you, but my kids accidentally threw their ball over your fence. I was wondering if we could get it back.”

“Oh, that’s what that was?” He smiled. “I heard yelling coming from next door and was wondering what had happened.”

“Ah, well, you know how little girls can be sometimes…”

“Trust me, I do. I work with them. I can toss the ball back over for ‘em.”

“Thank you.” Neville returned his smile. “Again, sorry to trouble you. I know you’re still busy unpacking.” Neville could see the moving boxes that were sitting in the hallway. “Don’t mean to interrupt.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not a problem at all. Hey, what’s your name, by the way? I’m Mustafa.”

“Mustafa…” Neville repeated. It was a nice name. “I’m Adrian.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Adrian.” There was that infectious smile again. Neville found himself quite liking how his name sounded coming from his mouth -- and he normally hated his first name. “You’re the first person around here that I’ve actually spoken to, you know that?”

“That doesn’t shock me.” He frowned. “The people around here aren’t exactly the nicest. They don’t really _do_ things like greeting new neighbors.”

“That’s a shame… But at least I have one nice neighbor in _you_. That makes up for it.” Mustafa shot him a wink. “I should probably go get the ball now -- I’ll catch you later, okay?”

“Okay! I’ll, uh… see you around.”

With that, Mustafa shut the door, and Neville let out a breath that he didn’t even realize that he was holding. Finally, it was _over_. He had done what needed to be done, and now he could go back home and rub it in Wade’s face.

 _I didn’t linger at all._ Neville thought with a sense of triumph as he went down to the sidewalk. _Wade was so sure that I was going to fall head over heels for him within thirty seconds of knowing him. Not even close._

…Still, Neville thought it was a bit strange how he had acted when Mustafa first opened the door. Everything about their conversation was normal with the exception of the beginning. Neville had been completely entranced by him, especially those _eyes_ … What was that all about?

Neville’s moment of contemplation didn’t last very long, as he was interrupted by the gleeful sounds of his daughters, whose ball had just been returned to them. He was overthinking things, as usual. He only felt this way because Wade planted the seeds in his mind.

This was nothing to dwell on.


	2. Curiosity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday!! Here's chapter 2, hope y'all like it!!

At first, Neville didn’t even realize what he was doing.

It had all started while he was sitting at his desk in the office, making a phone call to one of the higher ups and informing him of the meeting he was having later in the week. He dreaded whenever he would have to call this specific person. There was _always_ something wrong with whatever Neville did for him — Neville would have some paperwork on his desk at 8:33 instead of 8:30 and that would be worth a lecture, he would complain that the day for a certain meeting didn’t work even though he had _told_ Neville that it was the best time. No matter what he did or how hard he worked, nothing was ever _right._

Once Neville had gotten an earful and hung up the phone twenty minutes later, he went to work correcting his latest ‘mistake’, searching for a more appropriate time. This time he was told to put the meeting on a Wednesday instead of a Thursday — God only knows what mysterious circumstances will force these plans to once again fall through. Unfortunately, that upcoming Wednesday was already full, so it was going to be put off even further. _All for what? So this guy can cut out early again?_ Neville wished he was high enough in standing so that he could constantly leave early without any sort of punishment.

It was right as Neville was about to schedule the meeting for the following week that he found himself lost in thought. It wasn’t unusual for him to start daydreaming during work, especially when the task he was saddled with was as ridiculous as the one he was currently dealing with was, but this time was different. The subject wasn’t as typical as it usually was, not about something Wade said or what the girls did or what happened on a show he’d been watching the night before.

_What does Mustafa do for a living?_

Neville didn’t see anything wrong with wondering something as simple as that. Mustafa had been home a few days prior when Neville had gone to retrieve the girls’ ball, so clearly he didn’t work on Fridays. _Maybe he’s a secreta-- administrative assistant too? That would explain the day off on a Friday_. If this were the case, then did this mean that Mustafa worked in the same office building as him? He never recalled seeing him anywhere — perhaps he was on one of the lower floors?

No, that couldn’t be right. Mustafa had offhandedly mentioned working with children during their conversation. Neville’s job didn’t involve any children (unless you want to count his co-workers whenever the coffee machine was broken), so that theory was out.

 _Could he be a teacher, maybe?_ That seemed like a logical answer — it was a job that involved children, and since it was summertime it would explain why he wasn’t working. What school did he work for? Neville _definitely_ would have remembered seeing him at dismissal when he went to pick Jen and Daisy up. He made a mental note to talk to the girls later that evening once he got home and see if either of them recognized him from their school.

Just as he finished that thought, however, he suddenly remembered that he had a job of his own that he needed to do. Neville hurriedly went back to working, making the almighty meeting official for next Wednesday and preparing himself for the next round of complaints that he was sure to get.

* * *

 Neville pulled into the driveway of his home with a broad grin on his face. He was quite proud of himself for actually managing to avoid the rush hour traffic. He didn’t even have to leave a few minutes early — the roads were unusually clear despite the time of day. Chances are he wasn’t going to get that lucky again for quite awhile (if ever again), so he savored the moment while it lasted. _And Wade didn’t think it was possible for me to actually get home at a decent time…_ Neville mused to himself. _God, I love proving him wrong._

This moment of pride turned out to be short lived once he remembered that being home earlier meant that he was able to cook dinner that night. _Son of a bitch…_

It had become a running joke in the house that he was a mediocre chef at best, so he wasn’t looking forward to the teasing that he was bound to receive once he set foot in the kitchen. _What should it be tonight?_ Neville tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he contemplated his options. Whatever he made, it had to be something so simple that not even he could mess it up (which would prove to be quite the challenge seeing as he was completely inept when it come to cooking). _Wonder if I’ll be able to use the microwave without it blowing up in my face._

As he went to remove the keys from the ignition, he saw that the lights were on in Mustafa’s house. Seeing as it was around dinner time, he figured that his neighbor was probably right in the middle of cooking, and his mind began to wander again.

 _I wonder how good of a cook_ **_he_ ** _is._ He wondered if Mustafa struggled in the kitchen as much as he did. Or perhaps he was actually quite skilled? Then again, Neville was exceptionally bad — the kind of person who would burn cereal if it were possible, so someone making a halfway decent meal was still better than whatever Neville made on his best night.

Either way, Neville didn’t have time to be dwelling on what Mustafa was getting up to, and he exited the car, already planning what he would get when he and the rest of his family would inevitably end up ordering takeout.

* * *

Neville had a perfectly good backyard, so why did Daisy and Jen insist on playing out in the _front_ of the house?

They had both assured him that they would be fine, that they would run back inside the moment they thought they saw someone acting suspicious, but Neville still wasn’t completely sold, protective parent that he was. As such, on that Friday he set up his laptop in the living room so that he could keep an eye on them.

Work was proving to be the same nonsense as always — disagreements about times, pointless conversations where the participants forgot to remove Neville from their email exchanges, the usual. _Doesn’t anybody have a job that they need to do?_ Neville thought, taking a pretzel out of the bowl that was sitting next to his laptop on the coffee table and popping it in his mouth. _Or literally anything else besides distracting me?_

At one point he had gotten up to go into the kitchen to refill his glass of water. As Neville was returning to the living room, he paused in front of the window to check on the kids. Before he even realized what he was doing, his gaze shifted to the house next door, where he noticed that Mustafa was standing outside on his porch. He was looking at the mail he had gotten that day, his brow furrowing. Even from his home Neville could still clearly make out the bright colors of the tacky junk mail that he received all the time. _Not even he’s safe from that bullshit, huh?_

Neville watched as Mustafa’s tongue poked out from between his lips as he focused on the envelopes in his hands, a slight breeze causing a strand of his hair to fall in his face. Neville couldn’t help but find himself staring at him, wondering if he was going to fix his hair or just let it hang. He had to admit that he _did_ look good like that…

He received another email at that moment, his laptop making the all too familiar notification sound and snapping Neville out of his little daze. _What the hell am I doing?_ Neville shook his head, scurrying back over to the couch. There wasn’t much time left in his shift, but he still couldn’t afford to be dawdling. He had work to do and pointless office gossip to read about. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about his neighbor’s hair.

* * *

 “Nev, could you do me a favor and grab me something from the grocery bag that I left by the front door?” Wade asked, standing at the stove and putting on a pot of water as he worked on that night’s dinner.

“Okay. Why didn’t you bring the bag in earlier, though?” Neville asked, standing up from the kitchen table.

“Because that was the bag that had the candy I bought for the girls in it. Jen insisted on looking through it right then and there. I never actually went back to get it.” Wade looked over his shoulder at him. “It’s got the box of spaghetti that I need.”

“Hope she wasn’t eating too many sweets before dinner… She’ll spoil her appetite.”

“ _God_ , Nev, you’re so boring sometimes.”

“Hush.”

Neville sauntered out into the hallway and spotted the brown paper bag sitting next to the front door, which was left partially open. Approaching it revealed that Jen and Daisy had once again decided on playing out on the front lawn. Neville wanted to be annoyed that they hadn’t asked for permission, but he decided to let it go and focus on what he’d been sent there to do.

He crouched down and began to dig around inside of the bag. Sure enough, there were many candy wrappers sitting inside of it. _She’ll probably be too full for dinner now…_ Neville noted as he took one of the shiny wrappers in his hands. He shook his head and pushed them aside, finding the box of spaghetti sitting at the bottom and tugging it out.

“Whole wheat pasta?” Neville muttered under his breath as he read the label on the box. _And Wade has the nerve to call_ **_me_ ** _“boring”._

Neville turned to walk back to the kitchen when he suddenly stopped short in front of the window. Mustafa was in the middle of taking his garbage out to the curb. _What’s he been up to all day?_ Neville didn’t recall seeing him leave his house at all that afternoon. _Could he still be unpacking?_

Neville noticed that he was wearing a hoodie — a dark green one that was entirely too big on him, no less. He couldn’t help but smile at how baggy it was on him, how he had to keep pulling up the sleeves to keep it from covering his hands. _Why wouldn’t he wear something that was actually his size? And why’s he wearing a hoodie in the middle of_ **_August_ ** _?_ It was oddly charming.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh—” Neville gasped, spinning around and finding that Wade was now standing directly behind him. “Jesus, Wade, don’t scare me like that!”

“You mean to tell me that you didn’t hear me coming? I was calling your name. You were taking an eternity, so I had to come find you.” Wade smirked. “Though now I understand _why_ you were taking so long. You were just so lost in thought looking at the cutie next door that you didn’t even notice me.”

“Oh, wipe that look off your face, would you?” On the list of things that Neville wasn’t interested in looking at at that moment, it was the cocky expression that Wade always had on his face whenever he felt he’d been proven right. Neville turned away and went back to looking outside, focusing his attention back on what Mustafa was doing.

“And there you go again!”

“What? What am I doing that’s so wrong?”

“You keep gawking at him.”

“So?” Neville turned back around to face Wade if only to get him to shut up about his staring. “I’m just curious about Mustafa. I barely know him.”

“So why don’t you go talk to him then? Learn some more about him.”

“You know I can’t just do that. Do you have any idea how weird it would be if I randomly went over to his house and started asking him questions about his personal life? I’d rather speculate than do that. It’s less awkward that way.”

“Oh, Neville…” Wade sighed. “You’re impossible sometimes, you know that?”

“I do.” Neville handed over the box that he was still holding, pressing it against Wade’s chest. “Don’t you have cooking that you should be doing?”

Wade looked down at the box for a moment before slowly taking it from him, his gaze now focused on something outside. “So…” He began. “Let’s just say that the perfect opportunity for you and — Mustafa, you said his name was? — to talk arises. Would you take advantage of it?”

“I mean…” Neville crossed his arms, shrugging. “Yes, I suppose I would. But that won’t happen.”

“Are you sure about that? Because I think you might have a chance right now.”

“What makes you say that?”

“See for yourself.” Wade gestured to the window.

Neville furrowed his brow before turning back around, eyes widening. He was so distracted with Wade that he hadn’t been keeping an eye on the girls — they were both smiling and giggling as they shared a conversation with Mustafa about God knows what. “How long-- How long have they been talking?” Neville asked, transfixed by what he was looking at.

“Only a few minutes. They look like they’re having a pretty good time too.” Wade rested his chin on top of Neville’s head. “Maybe you should go see what’s up? Go see what they’re talking about.”

Neville chewed on his lip. He hadn’t expected that his excuse to talk to Mustafa again would sneak up on him so suddenly. What does he even say? Does he just ask what’s going on and then leave? Or does he stop to talk for a few more minutes? If he did the latter, then what would they talk about?

“Well?” Wade asked after a moment. “They look about ready to part ways. What do you say? You gonna do it or what?”

“I…” Neville said, nodding. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go see what they’re up to.

Wade chuckled, patting his shoulder. “Go get ‘em, kid.”

Neville was left by himself in the hallway after that, Wade having retreated back into the kitchen, and he sighed. There wasn’t any backing out now, otherwise Wade would never let him hear the end of it. _Well, here goes nothing…_

He opened the door and went outside, heading over towards Mustafa and the kids and beginning to listen as parts of their conversation became clearer. “And she was the one who threw it!” Daisy said with a smile, pointing to her sister.

“And you were the one who made it go over the fence!” Jen insisted. “Trust me, it was _all_ her fault.”

“Girls, are you still talking about this?” Neville asked, prompting the three of them to look at him. Neville couldn’t help but notice that the smile on Mustafa’s face had grown wider upon his arrival, and he smiled back before saying, “That was over a week ago.”

“But Mr. Mustafa should know about what Daisy did!”

“It’s your fault for throwing it!” Daisy said.

“It’s _your_ fault for hitting it so hard!” Jen argued right back.

“Neither one of you are to blame,” Neville interrupted.

“So who’s fault is it then?”

“It’s, uh…” Neville clicked his tongue, thinking for a moment before continuing with, “My fault. I should have bought a house with a higher fence. Sorry ‘bout that.”

Both girls looked at him with frowns on their faces, though perhaps the reaction that had the biggest impact on Neville was Mustafa’s little snort. He couldn’t help but feel oddly proud knowing that he’d amused him.

“But Daddy,” Daisy said, “if you’d bought a bigger fence then you wouldn’t be able to see over it! You’re so short.”

Neville’s face went red, the sound of Mustafa laughing again causing him to grow even more embarrassed. “I’d find a way. Anyways, why don’t you two head inside and wash up? Wade’s getting dinner ready.”

“I’m not hungry,” Jen protested.

“He’s making spaghetti and meatballs.”

“...Actually? I changed my mind. I’m hungry now.” She skipped off towards the house, Daisy following close behind her.

Neville watched them go before looking at Mustafa, who was still smiling. “Uh… Kids, amiright?” He laughed a little nervously. “They just say the darndest things.”

“They’re cute, though,” Mustafa replied. “Jen looks a lot like you.”

“You think so? Everyone always says she looks more like her mother.”

“Well, I haven’t met your wife yet, so I can’t really compare.”

Neville felt himself tense up. “Actually, I’m… not married.” He scratched the back of his head, laughing a little nervously. “Not anymore, at least. We, erm, separated a few years ago.”

“Oh.” Mustafa’s eyebrows raised. “I’m sorry, I just assumed you were still together. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Don’t worry about it, you had no way of knowing.” Christ, why did Neville even bring that up in the first place? Mustafa wasn’t interested in hearing about his love life. He shouldn’t be dumping his relationship baggage on someone who was essentially a stranger.

They both fell silent. Neville was beginning to think that maybe he’d made a mistake sticking around for so long -- the conversation had become awkward, as he’d predicted. He had been given the opportunity to speak with Mustafa again, and he royally screwed it up. _Way to go, Neville… You’ve really outdone yourself this time._

Mustafa cut him off his train of thought by saying, “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think you’re all that short.”

Neville laughed at that. “Gee, thanks. I don’t know why Daisy even _said_ that.”

“I think she just likes to mess with you. It’s what kids do. I deal with kids like that all the time.”

“Oh? Do you have any of your own?”

“No, no. I work with them. I’m a teacher. First grade.”

“First grade? Oof.” Neville involuntarily shuddered. “I only have to deal with one first grader around here. I can’t imagine a whole class full of ‘em.”

“It’s fun, though. They, uh, always keep me on my toes.” Mustafa smiled a little sheepishly. “Never know what they’re gonna get up to next.”

“That’s pretty much what it’s like in my house. Just last week they were fighting over chicken tenders.” Neville clicked his tongue. “I didn’t realize that food could be so controversial.”

“Oh it _definitely_ can be. Just this past spring two kids got into a fight over a pack of fruit snacks. In Noah’s defense they _were_ his, but… he _did_ say he would share them.” Mustafa shrugged. “It was a big mess.”

“Sounds like it. Y’know, I wanna say that fighting over food is a kid thing, but now that I think about it I’ve seen people in the office bust out some pretty brutal insults if it means getting the last donut.” Neville smirked. “Little did they know that while they were all fighting I snuck in and took it.”

“Ooh, sneaky!” Mustafa playfully nudged his arm. “You don’t strike me as being the type. You seem too good natured for that.”

“Pardon my language, but I can be a real bastard sometimes. Just ask Wade. He knows _all_ about it.”

Mustafa’s brow furrowed. “Wade is…?”

“My friend. He lives downstairs, helps me with the girls sometimes. He’s a bit of a loser, but he’s a nice guy all things considered. He’s helped me through some rough times.”

“Okay, so he’s your friend.” There was a weird look on Mustafa’s face -- relief? Neville wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. “Just wanted to make sure.”

“Why? Is there something wrong with him being my friend?”

“No, definitely not! I just wanted to be one hundred percent sure that he was only your friend before… Well…”

“Well what?” Neville quirked up an eyebrow. _Where’s he going with this…?_

“I was just wondering… Are you free--”

“Nev!” Right before Mustafa could finish talking, Wade suddenly appeared in the front door, and both men looked at him. “I need you for a second.”

“For what?” Neville couldn’t quite place why, but he was suddenly filled with the urge to punch Wade in the face.

“I need help with dinner. Daisy keeps offering to help, but I don’t trust a six year old around a stove. Then again, you’re not much better, are you?”

“Wade!” Neville was expecting Mustafa to laugh at his expense again, but when he looked over at him he realized that he was actually staring down towards the ground, his face flushed. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“Don’t take too long. You know I’m not good at fending off small children.” Wade hurried back inside, leaving Mustafa and Neville alone again.

Neville looked back at his neighbor, clearing his throat. “I’m… I’m sorry for him. He has poor timing.”

“Yeeeeah.” Mustafa laughed, though it didn’t sound like a very happy laugh. “He really does.”

“What were you going to say?”

“Uh… nothing. It’s not important.” He shook his head. “Now’s not the best time to talk about it anyway. You should probably go help Wade out before the girls beat him up.”

Neville swallowed, inexplicably sad, his mouth dry. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll, uh, see you around?”

“Yeah.” He grinned. “I’ll see you, Adrian.”

Neville nodded at him before walking back towards his house. No matter how much he tried to will it away, this unusual feeling of dissatisfaction sat heavily in his stomach like a rock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie, when I first wrote that ending I was just so. Mad. I was so annoyed that they got interrupted even though I KNEW it was gonna happen, because I'm the one writing the damn thing. Unbelievable.


	3. Grudge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 3!!

Neville knew that it wasn’t a good thing to hold grudges. As appealing as it may have seemed sometimes to constantly resent someone who wronged him, he couldn’t bring himself to do it more often than not. Looking towards the future was the better option, in his opinion, rather than holding someone to something that they did in the past.

Even so, why couldn’t he bring himself to stop being mad at Wade for showing up when he did?

Dinner that night was awkward, if only because for once Neville didn’t have much to say. Dinnertime normally consisted of him and Wade playfully bickering over unimportant things, providing the girls with their favorite form of entertainment (why they enjoyed watching the two of them fight Neville had no idea, and he had no plans to ask), but that evening was different. Neville made the occasional comment, but he remained mostly silent.

For the life of him, he couldn’t stop thinking about whatever it was that Mustafa was going to ask him.

“Any particular reason why you’re ignoring me tonight?” Wade asked once the girls had gone upstairs to play, leaning back against the counter as Neville did the dishes.

“I’m not ignoring you,” Neville replied curtly, focusing intently on scrubbing all of the sauce off of the bowl (even though it was already spotless).

“You’ve barely spoken a word to me in the last hour! Come on, lad, tell me what’s wrong.”

“Who said that there’s anything wrong?”

“You’re clearly angry about something. Could you please look at me at the very least?”

Neville placed the dish into the rack to dry off, and he quickly glared at Wade before going to work on the next one. “Happy now?”

“No, just a little scared now that you’ve given me the evil eye.” Wade tried to joke, but he didn’t succeed in lightening the mood. “Was it something I said? Did I offend you somehow? Please just talk to me.”

Neville sighed deeply through his nose. He wanted nothing more than to be able to talk about what had made him so upset, but he couldn’t figure out exactly  _ why _ that was the case in the first place.

He had been interrupted while speaking with someone many times before. It was annoying, yes, but it wasn’t like he could do anything to control it. Interruptions are an unavoidable part of life, and all that he could do was suck it up and deal with it. He would get over it eventually and move on.

So what was it about Wade interrupting him when he was with  _ Mustafa _ that bothered him so much? Mustafa meant no more to him than any other friend he’d made in his life. There wasn’t anything particularly special about their relationship. They had only had two conversations up until that point.

Nevertheless, there was still something about the whole scene that wasn’t sitting well with Neville -- the fact that their conversation was flowing so well, that Mustafa wanted to ask him something  _ coincidentally  _ right after inquiring about the true nature of Wade and Neville’s relationship, that Mustafa wore an almost dejected look on his face when Wade showed up out of the blue and stopped him from asking that godforsaken question…

Neville placed the last dish into the rack and turned the faucet off, removing the rubber gloves he had been wearing and placing them on the edge of the sink. “Wade…” He said, finally looking at him. “It’s complicated, okay? I’m not even sure myself what the hell is going on right now.”

“Can you at least tell me what I did? It’s driving me nuts not knowing why you’re so pissed at me.”

“That’s the thing, Wade -- I don’t  _ know _ . I don’t  _ know _ why I’m annoyed tonight. I just  _ am _ . If I knew, I would tell you. But I literally have no idea, and I’m sorry. I really… don’t want to talk about it right now, okay?”

Neville made to leave, though Wade’s next words stopped him in his tracks. “Nevs?” He asked, sounding a little hesitant, as if he anticipated a negative reaction to whatever he was going to say next. “Did I… Did I interrupt something earlier? With Mustafa?”

One of Neville’s fists clenched, the joints in his fingers cracking as his fingernails drilled into his palm, and he looked back at Wade. “No. You didn’t. There wasn’t anything going on.”

* * *

It was too damn early.

Yet another downside that could be found on Neville’s seemingly never ending list of job complaints was that he needed to get up unbearably early in the morning just so he could make it on time… At least,  _ he _ thought that 6AM was early. There were some other people in the office who were commuting from even further away and needed to wake up closer to 5 each day. They would scoff at him when he told them about his time and claim that he didn’t know a damn thing about being up early, that he was an “amateur”. Neville didn’t realize it was a competition.

As he was doing up the buttons on his shirt, he looked towards his bedroom window, the curtains fluttering in the morning breeze.  _ I should probably close that before leaving. Don’t want to risk the carpets getting wet again _ . Though he didn’t remember hearing anything about rain being in the forecast for that day, chances are there would definitely be a storm whenever he forgot to close the window.

He shuffled over towards the window and shoved the curtains aside, pausing right as his hands started to reach for the frame. The moment that he caught sight of his house, in an almost predictable fashion, Neville found himself beginning to think about Mustafa again. What was his morning routine like? Neville wondered if he was up this early even though it was still technically summer and he had no job to report to, if the school he worked for was far enough away that he needed to get up at an ungodly hour just to make it in on time.

Now that he thought about it, classes would be starting up again soon, wouldn’t they? Neville had always dreaded the first day back to school. Following his divorce, he would normally take the day off from work (requesting this was a chore in itself, seeing as there was always  _ something _ of “importance” that needed to be done) so he could drop Jen and Daisy off and be there to pick them up once the day was over.

But the day wasn’t easy for him, despite him not having to deal with his boss constantly breathing down his neck. Though he was technically allowed to relax, he never did. The house just didn’t feel  _ right  _ when the girls weren’t around. Sure, he had Wade, who  _ always _ had some sort of plan for what they could do together now that they had some time, but it simply wasn’t the same. The house felt… empty.

_ How can some parents actually celebrate their kids going back to school? _ Neville thought with a shake of the head. Knowing that his own children weren’t playing upstairs or in the backyard whenever he was home was enough to have him feeling off for almost the whole day, like there was something  _ missing _ .

Neville heard an alarm tone coming from his phone sitting on his night table, no doubt a reminder that he was running late, and he let out a frustrated groan before finally closing and locking the window. He needed to learn how to stop being so easily distracted. Sooner or later it was going to get him into trouble.

And in a way, technically Mustafa was to blame, wasn’t he?

Yes, the more that Neville thought about it, Mustafa was responsible for quite a few changes in recent weeks. Up until that one day when the girls’ ball went over the fence, Neville had been focused and working almost like a machine -- get up, get ready, get work done, get home, repeat. He had a rigid plan for how the whole day would go, and he rarely, if ever, strayed from the itinerary. What was the point of changing his ways if the old ones worked just fine? They hadn’t failed him yet.

But then he and Mustafa were officially introduced to each other, and things were suddenly different. No, none of the changes had been major, but they were definitely noticeable. Neville had become distracted at work thinking about him and his life, his mind riddled with daydreams. He would take his usual break on Friday and spend at least a few minutes of his time thinking about what he was getting up to, if he’d made any plans that day.

All of this, and they had only known each other for about three weeks.

He kept his gaze locked on Mustafa’s house as he backed away from the window, his mouth forming into a tight line. Despite everything that was going on in his life, from his job to taking care of his family, there was still enough room in his head for one question to continue bouncing around to the point where it was starting to drive him mad. He knew that he shouldn’t be dwelling on it this much, that it was pointless, that it was only going to bring about unneeded stress, but he couldn’t help it. As much as he tried to fight it, Neville couldn’t help but  _ wonder _ .

_ What in the world were you going to ask me? _

* * *

Neville had predicted that it would rain on the day when he  _ forgot _ to close his window. The fact that this prediction came true despite him having remembered was quite the plot twist.

As Neville pulled into his driveway, rain was beginning to drop down onto his windshield. If he was grateful for anything, it was that it waited until he had gotten home to start. There was  _ nothing _ that he hated more than driving in traffic while it was raining.  _ It’s like everyone forgets how to drive.  _ Hell, sometimes he felt like people forgot how to drive even on the sunniest days.

The worst of the storm (assuming that it was going to get worse, which it most likely would) had yet to arrive. If he moved quick enough, Neville still had enough time to rush into the house without getting too wet. Still, there was a part of him that was a little resentful towards the weather report that he’d read that morning, which never once mentioned that it would rain. How was it possible that the supposed “weather experts” managed to miss a storm? It would have been nice to read a report that was actually accurate so that he could dress accordingly, perhaps wear a jacket or even bring an umbrella… 

_ But hey, at least my bedroom floor won’t get wet. _

Steeling himself, Neville exited the car and locked it behind him, shoving his keys into his pocket as he hurried up to the front porch. It was as he drew closer to the house that he noticed that the mail had not been taken in that day. A few envelopes were sticking out from the box hanging next to the door.  _ Did Wade forget? What’s the occasion? _ He was usually very on top of this sort of thing.

Then again, Wade had told Neville the night before that he planned on taking the girls out to the park for the afternoon. Mail was probably the last thing on his mind once the three of them arrived home.  _ He’s probably downstairs with a wet rag over his head. _

Neville took out the envelopes, looking each of them over. It was the usual junk mail, scams disguised with pretty colors meant to somehow entice him into handing over his money. He was hoping that the senders would get the hint that he wasn’t that gullible the first few hundred times he ignored them, but clearly that was not the case. He admired their dedication, even if it  _ was _ incredibly annoying.

Just as he was about to head inside, he caught sight of an envelope that had been sitting in the very back of the box. It was only junk, its colors smearing due to the rain that was still very much falling (why hadn’t Neville gone inside before getting involved with the mail?), though that wasn’t what had caught his attention.

“Mustafa Ali…” Neville muttered under his breath as he read the name of the person the mail was addressed to. As if things with him weren’t already complicated, now Mustafa’s mail was being sent to him by accident.

Neville chewed down on his lower lip, looking over in the direction of Mustafa's house. Should he bring it over to him? It was only junk mail, something that would surely be tossed out the moment that Mustafa received it, though Neville wasn’t sure it was right for  _ him  _ to be the one to throw it away. This wasn’t addressed to him, after all.  _ Isn’t it illegal to throw away someone else’s mail? Does that law apply to junk? _

After mulling it over for a few more moments, he made the decision to walk over to the house next door and drop it off in Mustafa’s mailbox. It would take a few seconds of his time at most, and chances were Mustafa wouldn’t even notice that he was there. There was no real harm in it.

He breathed out a little sigh of relief once he was under the protection the porch awning. The rain had started to pick up, and he was definitely  _ not  _ looking forward to having to go back out in it once his little errand was complete. He noticed that Mustafa’s mailbox was hanging next to the front door, similar to how it was at his own house.  _ Just drop it in and leave. Stop stalling and he won’t even realize that you stopped by. _

“Adrian?”

_ Fuck _ .

Neville’s hand froze right as it was reaching to put the mail in the box, and he quickly brought it back to his side, a little nervous smile on his face. “O-Oh, hey! How, uh, long have you been standing there?”

Mustafa was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Not long. I spotted you coming up the walkway and decided to come see what you were up to.” He smirked. “And apparently I caught you stealing my mail. I see you like to steal more than just breakroom donuts.”

“What? No, I wasn’t stealing it, I swear! It accidentally got sent to me, I was bringing it over.” Neville quickly handed the envelope over to him. “Here you go.”

He chuckled, and Neville felt his face get a little hot.  _ He really does have a nice laugh... _ “It’s fine, I believe you. I’m only teasing.”

“Oh… I knew that.”

Mustafa took the mail from Neville and frowned down at it. “Ugh, seriously? Again? I’ve gotten this same damn letter at least twice now.”

“I’ve gotten it so many times that I’ve lost track, honestly. It’s pathetic how desperate these people are.”

“I know right?”

“It’s like they think we’re stupid or something.

“I can’t vouch for anyone else who’s gotten this letter, but,” he gestured between himself and Neville with the envelope, “ _ we _ are pretty smart people.”

“I would hope so.” Neville looked out towards the street, grimacing at how hard the rain was coming down now. “Well, sorry to bother you. I should probably get back to my house.”

“In this weather?” Mustafa raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re kidding.”

“I live right next door. It’s not like I’m walking across town.”

“You’re not even wearing a jacket, you’ll get soaked.”

“Meh, I’ll live.”

“Why don’t you come inside for a little while? Just until it lightens up.”

Neville grew a bit tense at the suggestion, and he swallowed. He hadn’t anticipated actually being welcomed inside -- wasn’t this trip only supposed to take a few seconds? And wasn’t he supposed to go completely unnoticed? Neither of those things happened.

...Then again, Neville supposed he didn’t exactly have anything to lose by accepting the offer.  _ Just for a couple of minutes…  _ “...Sure, why not?” He finally replied.

Mustafa smiled --  _ Christ, it’s contagious…  _ \-- and stepped aside, gesturing for Neville to enter. “After you, good sir.”

“Well aren’t you just a gentleman.” Neville teased.

The first thing that Neville noticed once he was inside was that the moving boxes were gone from the hallway.  _ Well  _ **_duh_ ** _ , Neville. He’s been in this house for  _ **_weeks_ ** _ now. Obviously they’re not going to be sitting around anymore. _

“Can I get you anything?” Mustafa asked once he shut the door. “Some water, maybe?”

“Didn’t I come in here to get away from the water?” He winked, the little giggle that escaped Mustafa as a result causing his cheeks to flush again.

“You’re just full of jokes today, aren’t you?” He nudged him in the side with his elbow, leading the way over to the couch. He sat down and patted the empty seat next to him, prompting Neville to sit. “So, did you just get home from work?”

“Yep. I’m glad this storm rolled in when it did, otherwise I’d still be stuck in traffic right about now.”

“And how was your day today?”

“Obnoxious.” Neville rolled his eyes, settling in on the plush couch. His wasn’t  _ nearly _ as comfortable as this one. He wasn’t sure if he would ever want to get off of it.

“How so?” Mustafa frowned. “Tell me about it.”

“My boss always has me doing the dumbest things. Like, today he gave me this assignment…”

Neville began to share the details of his day, rambling on about the pettiest things that still managed to annoy him. For awhile he worried that he was just wasting Mustafa’s time, though those fears were quelled by the way he was reacting to everything that he said. He actually seemed… interested. He was nodding, sometimes making a comment every now and then about how ridiculous something was. For the first time in awhile, Neville was talking about his day with someone who seemed genuinely invested.

This wasn’t to say that Wade didn’t care at all, of course. Neville had been complaining to him about his hard days for years, however. Wade never outright said that he didn’t care, but it was obvious that he wasn’t listening as closely as he used to. It was…  _ nice _ knowing that there was someone that Neville could talk to who truly seemed to give a shit.

Once they had finished talking, Neville having run out of complaints for the time being, Mustafa stood up and made his way towards the window. “How’s it looking out there?” Neville asked, staring at his back.

“A little better,” Mustafa replied. “But it’s still messy.”

“It’ll probably be like this for the rest of the night.” He sighed.

Mustafa turned back to face him, leaning back against the window frame. “Would you… Would you want to stay for dinner? And maybe by the time we’re done it’ll be better?”

“I--” Before Neville could say anything more, his phone went off in his pocket. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said as he took it out and read over the latest batch of asinine texts from Wade.

 

**Wade “Lazyass” Barrett:** where are you

**Wade “Lazyass” Barrett:** i can see your car parked outside but i don’t see YOU

**Wade “Lazyass” Barrett:** it’s like you fuckin vanished into thin air or something

**Wade “Lazyass” Barrett:** wait

**Wade “Lazyass” Barrett:** did you melt

 

“Oh my God, this man…” Neville rolled his eyes.

“Who is it? Is it Wade?”

“Yeah. He’s looking for me.” Neville fired back a text saying that he would be home shortly and stood up from the couch. “Thank you for the offer, but I should probably get back home before the kids beat the hell out of him again.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” There it was again -- that same sad look in Mustafa’s eyes that he had after Wade had interrupted them the first time. He suddenly snapped his fingers. “Actually, hold on a minute. I wanna give you something.”

“What?” Neville watched as Mustafa rushed out of the room.

“Just wait there!” He called back.

“What in the world is he doing…?” As Neville stood there, confused, his phone went off again. Four new messages.

 

**Wade “Lazyass” Barrett:** neville

**Wade “Lazyass” Barrett:** are you

**Wade “Lazyass” Barrett:** next door??

 

The last message was rows upon rows of the eye emoji -- Wade’s favorite one. Neville made a little frustrated noise and decided to ignore this round of texts, and he shoved his phone back into his pocket. He needed to brace himself for some serious teasing once he made it back home…

“Here.” Mustafa re-entered the room just then. Neville noticed that he was carrying two things -- a bright blue hoodie and a small plastic bag of chocolate chip cookies. “Wear this home.”

“Isn’t this yours, though?” Neville asked as he took it from him.

“You can borrow it, I have plenty of hoodies.”

Neville stared down at it, thumbs running over the soft fabric. There was something about this gesture that made Neville’s heart flutter.  _ He’s… sharing his clothes with me? _ Neville nipped on his lower lip before slipping it over his head. “Thanks. I’ll give it back to you next time I see you, I promise.”

“There’s no rush. Like I said, I have so many --  _ too _ many, actually. Give it back whenever you get the chance.” Mustafa looked Neville up and down. “I gotta say, you look better in it than I do. Blue is your color.”

“You flatter me.” Neville smiled. “Also, what’s with the cookies?”

“I baked these earlier.” Mustafa handed them over. “Figured that the girls might like to have some.”

Neville made a mental note to keep these hidden from them until after dinner. “You bake?” He asked as he put the bag in the hoodie’s pocket.

“Sometimes. It keeps me busy whenever I have some time off. I don’t make chocolate chip all that often, though.”

“Is that so? They’re my favorite.”

“Oh? Then I guess I’ll have to make them more often, just for you.”

“You’re too kind.” Neville was about to say more, but he heard his phone go off yet again. “God, I should probably get home now. Wade’s gonna throw a damn fit. Thanks again for everything.”

“Of course. It’s the least I could do for my favorite neighbor.”

“Aww, I’m your favorite? I’m touched.” Though Neville wasn’t so sure if he was his favorite because he truly was, or if it was because Neville was the only neighbor he’d met up until that point.

Mustafa led him over towards the door, opening it for him. Neville cringed as he looked outside. Hoodie or no hoodie, this was going to be a pain in the ass to walk through. “Well, I’ll be seeing you,” Neville said.

Mustafa gave him a little salute, and Neville turned to leave. Just as he was about to walk outside, however, he heard Mustafa mutter something under his breath -- something that sounded vaguely like “fuck it” -- and he felt Mustafa’s hand grab his arm.

“Everything okay?” He asked as he turned back around and got a look at Mustafa’s face. There was an odd look in his eyes that he couldn’t quite place. Neville felt his heart starting to pound in his chest, the uncertainty of what was about to happen both exciting him and freaking him out. Why the hell was he looking at him like that?

“Adrian, there’s… something I gotta ask you. Something I’ve been meaning to ask for awhile now,” Mustafa replied.

Oh Christ. Was this going to be…  _ that _ question? Neville felt his mouth go dry. “And… what would that be?”

“There’s this coffee shop not too far away that I’ve been thinking of visiting. It’s like a ten minute drive from here. Would you… like to come with me when I go? Just the two of us. My treat.”

Neville’s face grew red, and his mouth fell open in surprise. Was Mustafa… asking him out? As in, on a  _ date _ ? The sad look on his face following Wade’s interruption from the week before suddenly made much more sense.

“Adrian? You alright?” The look in Mustafa’s eyes now vaguely resembled something like regret.

“I-I’m fine!” Neville’s voice was a little higher than it usually was, and he cleared his throat. “You just caught me off guard, that’s all.”

Mustafa’s hand slowly slid off of Neville’s arm. “Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have asked--”

“No, no, it’s okay! I-It’s just… been awhile since I was asked something like that.” He said, now frantically trying to find a way to avoid making Mustafa any more upset than he already seemed to be. “Would you mind if I got back to you with my answer, though? I need a little time to think about it.”

“Go ahead! Take as much time as you need, it’s totally fine,” Mustafa replied with a reassuring smile. “No rush.”

“Thank you.” Neville nodded. “I should go now. For real this time. Wade’s getting testy.” It was only a matter of time until his phone went off again.

“Whenever you’re ready, you let me know, ‘mkay?”

“I will. Thanks for understanding.” With that, Neville finally left Mustafa’s house, letting out a deep sigh once the door had shut behind him.

_ What the  _ **_fuck_ ** _ just happened? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *eyes emoji*


	4. Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a bit of a Sad Chapter for youse on this fine Friday. It's Long tho so at least there's that.

The rest of the day had been a blur.

Neville could remember going home and getting a big reception from the girls (as well as a disgruntled and hungry Wade), but not much else after that. He was distracted during all of dinnertime, while he was cleaning up afterwards, when he was putting the girls to bed -- so much had happened once he made it back to his house, and yet he barely remembered a thing.

All because he couldn’t stop thinking about Mustafa.

He toyed with the idea of telling Wade about what happened. In all the years that they’d known each other, Wade had been his go-to man whenever he needed advice on anything. He would always be there to listen to him and help him through whatever problems he had. There certainly wouldn’t be any harm in seeing what he had to say, would there?

But then he remembered the texts that Wade had sent him while he was over at Mustafa’s house, and how he had spent the last few weeks doing nothing but teasing him about how ‘perfect’ he and Mustafa would be if they were to become a couple, and just like that the idea of talking to him became very unappealing.

Neville knew that Wade didn’t mean any harm by his comments and that in the end he was only trying to help him, but asking him for advice on whether or not he should accept the date seemed like a poor idea considering the response he was sure to get. He got the feeling that there would be a solid five minutes of ‘I told you so’ before any actual conversation took place. If Neville wanted to have a serious discussion about this, Wade was probably not the best person to speak to about it, so he decided to keep this little secret to himself for the time being.

As Neville lie awake in bed that night, he replayed that moment over and over again in his mind. He swore that he could still feel Mustafa’s hand grabbing his arm, resting on the hoodie that was now neatly folded and sitting atop Neville’s dresser. Neville would bury his face in his pillow, squeezing his eyes shut and hoping that sleep would soon overcome him, or that he would be able to focus on literally _anything_ else, but it was all for naught.

Try as he might, he simply couldn’t scrub Mustafa out of his mind.

Neville sat up and reached towards his phone sitting on his night table. As he squinted at the bright light of his lock screen, he noticed that it was close to 1:30 in the morning. _Great, I’ll be tired as fuck during work tomorrow._ He put the phone back down and huffed as the back of his head sunk into his pillow. Of all the times he could have chosen to have a relationship crisis, he had to choose _now_?

“What the fuck am I gonna do…?” Neville groaned aloud to no one in particular, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands so hard that he was beginning to see stars. He knew that he couldn’t keep Mustafa waiting very long -- he said that there was no rush and that he could take his time, but it would feel _wrong_ if it took Neville forever to make a decision.

It was only a yes or no question, wasn’t it? This should be simple to answer. Does Neville want to go on a date with him, or doesn’t he? Originally Neville had been positive that the latter would be the case -- the two of them hardly knew each other. They were complete strangers. Who possibly expected Neville to agree to a date with someone who had only just moved into the neighborhood? It was foolish to think that way.

But then Neville had started to get to know Mustafa. He was immediately drawn to him from the moment that their eyes locked on the day he went to retrieve Daisy and Jen’s ball. There was something about him that made Neville want to be around him more often -- hell, he had been hanging around in his house only a few hours ago. It was as if he was subconsciously finding excuses just to be able to speak with him again. _Would he_ **_really_ ** _have given a shit if I’d thrown his junk mail away? Did I_ **_really_ ** _have to bring it over to him?_ Did Neville do that out of the kindness of his heart, or because he wanted to see him?

And the more that Neville thought about it -- and as nervous as this particular thought made him -- he wondered if being in an actual _relationship_ with Mustafa would be all that bad. He was a kind, good-looking guy who got along well with children. From the little bit that he’d seen, he and the girls seemed to like each other. He and Neville would probably work… _well_ together.

Before he could stop himself, Neville’s mind was suddenly flooded with different scenarios of the two of them together. He pictured himself waking up next to him early one morning, sunlight barely shining in through the curtains. Maybe it was a little chilly in the room, so he pulled the blankets up over the two of them and snuggled his face into Mustafa’s chest until he finally fell asleep again.

He pictured himself walking down a busy street with him, their hands tightly laced together as they wove their way through the crowd of people. Neville wasn’t entirely sure of where the two of them were headed, but judging by the big smile on Mustafa’s face it _had_ to be good. Was it the coffee shop he’d told him about? Or maybe he was going to surprise him by taking him someplace fancy? Whatever the case may be, he kept his hand in his.

He pictured himself standing _close_ to him one night as they’re both home alone, Wade most likely having taken the girls out some place so the two of them could have some time together. Neville’s back was pressed against the wall, his arms were wrapped around Mustafa’s waist, and he was slowly leaning in until their lips were mere centimeters apart…

 _Christ,_ **_stop it_ ** _!!_ Neville scolded himself and shook his head, sighing frustratedly into his pillow as his hands balled into fists. This shouldn’t be happening. It wasn’t _right_ . It didn’t make any sense. After all this time, after all these years of being single and not being interested in dating, what the _fuck_ was he doing falling for someone _this_ quickly and _this_ hard? He hadn’t even fallen for his ex-wife this quickly, yet here he was having such… _interesting_ thoughts about someone he’d only recently met. What was it about Mustafa that made him feel this way?

Then he remembered Wade. This was all his fault. Since day one Wade had planted the seed in his mind and had been trying to get them together. All of this talk about them being in a relationship most likely had some sort of subliminal effect on Neville. Yes, that made sense! He couldn’t think of any other explanation. All of these feelings were without a doubt caused by Wade, there was no actual attraction there at all.

Satisfied after having finally found a solution that put his mind at ease, he slid his eyes shut, at long last being able to focus his attention on something different and fall asleep.

* * *

That night, Neville dreamt of her.

He hadn’t had a dream about his wife in quite some time. They were more frequent immediately following the divorce, but as the years went on they occurred less and less often. Whenever it happened, she was there for only a moment -- she would make a brief appearance before Neville would either wake up or the dream would go in a completely different direction that didn’t involve her. As much of a nuisance as it was, he tended not to dwell on it for very long since it was really a very minor thing.

This one was different from all the rest, however.

The setting was a hotel -- one that the two of them had stayed in with the girls many times before during their annual family vacation. Neville was sitting at the foot of the bed, watching fondly as both Jen and Daisy excitedly ran around what would be their new bedroom for a few nights. His wife was bringing the last of their belongings into the room, Daisy squealing excitedly when she saw that her favorite star-patterned backpack had finally arrived (in real life, Neville had once tried buying a new bag for her to pack her things in only to be ignored for three days.)

He kept his gaze focused on his daughters as Daisy began to dig through her bag, no doubt looking for one of the dolls she’d chosen to bring so she could give her a grand tour of the room. He felt the bed sink a little bit next to him as his wife sat down, initiating a conversation. He nodded along, though in all honesty he had no idea what she was saying. His memory of this part was hazy, and in the end he couldn’t remember a single word that came out of her mouth.

There was one thing from the dream that he _did_ remember, however. Quite clearly.

Just as he’d turned his head to ask her to repeat what she’d said, she kissed him.

The sheer shock of the sudden gesture was enough to force Neville awake. His eyes were wide, and he was sweating, the long-since forgotten sensation of her lips on his once again being brought to the forefront of his memory. In all of the dreams he’d had of her, never was there a kiss. There was a conversation at most. Nothing romantic had ever taken place.

 _Just forget about it…_ Neville told himself as he heaved a heavy sigh, and he tugged the blankets up and over his head, his eyes slowly shutting again. It was only a dream, wasn’t it? This was nothing to worry about. This was just like every other dream he’d had about her, only with a little… extra. He knew he would get over this one just like he’d done with the rest, so long as he didn’t dwell on it.

* * *

Neville didn’t get over it as well as he’d hope he would.

At first, it seemed as if he was successful at pushing it out of his mind. His boss was required to fly across the country by the end of the week and needed his flight and hotel arrangements made, so that kept Neville busy for a little while. For once, he was actually grateful for his boss’ assignments -- they provided a nice distraction. Finding the right hotel that fit both the budget and his boss’ standards was a bit of a challenge, and he couldn’t afford to dawdle or daydream.

Things had gotten busier at home, too. With the girls starting school in less than two weeks, the time had come for them to begin purchasing their supplies for class. Jen wanted to use glitter pens, and Daisy wanted stickers to put all over her notebooks, so Neville had his work cut out for him trying to meet their specific requests while getting them ready for the year ahead. Never in his life did he think he would be buying such things at his age (though he firmly believed that 31 wasn’t old, Wade -- who was 37, no less -- constantly joked about moving him to a nursing home), but he was willing to do anything if it meant his girls were actually excited about school starting.

Even the first day went off without a hitch. Neville had dropped them off in front of the building just like he’d done so many times in the past, and then returned home to begin what was sure to be an… _interesting_ day with Wade. The house still felt empty now that two of its residents were gone for the day, but in the end it didn’t affect Neville nearly as much as he figured it would. Who would have guessed that poorly planned cooking lessons from Wade would be so amusing?

But of course, since nothing good could ever last forever, everything came crashing down on Neville once he’d gone to pick the girls up.

He heard the two of them chatting animatedly in the backseat, occasionally sharing with him an interesting tidbit about their day. Jen was forced to play an introduction game, the sheer mention of the activity causing a chill to run down Neville’s spine, but she was proud of the fact that she hadn’t stuttered even once. Daisy, meanwhile, had received compliments on her “fancy stickerwork”, and made sure to rub it in Jen’s face that she _wasn’t_ teased like her sister thought she would be. All in all, it was lovely conversation.

And then Jen said it.

“Remember how Mommy used to take us for ice cream after the first day?”

Neville felt his grip on the steering wheel tighten at her words. Jesus, he had completely forgotten about the damn ice cream. He had been forced to put up with this little tradition every year since the split, and yet it still always caught him off guard. He remained silent until Daisy responded, “Yeah, yeah! Daddy, can we do that?”

“No,” Neville replied a little harsher than he would have liked to, and he quickly cleared his throat, his tone returning to normal. “Not today, girlies. Maybe tomorrow. Daddy’s gotta work.”

“But didn’t you take off today?” Jen asked.

“Yeah, well… Still gotta check the email, y’know? Never know when someone could need me.” He chuckled nervously, knuckles beginning to turn white, the memory of the dream coming flooding back to him.

They pulled into the driveway a few minutes later, and Neville shut the car off, looking back at his daughters. “Why don’t you two head inside? I’ll join you in a little bit. Gotta take care of something first.”

The two of them exchanged glances, but they didn’t question him, and they grabbed their respective backpacks and exited the car. Neville watched as they trotted up to the front porch and let out a sigh, resting his head against the wheel.

_I really am a shitty father, aren’t I?_

Neville was so focused on how the divorce had affected _him_ , how much those intrusive dreams were affecting _him_ , that he never gave any thought to how his own goddamn children were feeling. Yes, it had been a few years, but both girls still remembered their mother quite well. It wasn’t as if they were little infants when they separated -- they knew about her, and they even remembered the little details about her, right down to the post-first day at school rituals.

And Neville had taken that away from them.

Though the split had been amicable, Neville still had his regrets -- not because he actually missed her, but because he knew that the _girls_ missed her. Neither of them would outright say it to him, but it was obvious that they sometimes still wished that their mother was around. All of their other classmates had two parents, why didn’t _they_? All they had was their father and his close friend.

Rebecca from Jen’s class had gone clothes shopping with her mother that past weekend -- when was the last time that Jen had done something like that? Neville had never been big on extensive shopping trips like his wife had been, so Jen never got to experience the same thing that her friend did. Timothy from Daisy’s class had plans to watch a movie with his parents later that night -- both of them. Neither one of Neville’s girls could say the same.

All of this was because Neville wasn’t fucking good enough to keep everything together. He let everything fall apart and did nothing to stop it.

* * *

Neville ended up surprising himself that weekend, however, as he actually _did_ take the girls out for their back-to-school ice cream.

He thought he was going to be able to get away with skipping it that year, but it was the weekend, and both Jen and Daisy were looking forward to spending it the _right_ way. It was still early on in the school year, so they didn’t have much homework and wanted to spend their last Saturday before the real work kicked in enjoying themselves. What better way to do so than to honor an important tradition?

Neville also figured that, after having acting so oddly on the way home the other day, he owed them a nice day out. He had suddenly grown cold all because they had the audacity to mention their own mother around them. He was still stressed out, yes, but that didn’t mean that he could just deprive his own children of something they always looked forward to. None of this was their fault at all, so why was he taking his issues out on them? They didn’t deserve that -- they deserved a nice day out with their father.

And of course, his wife had come up multiple times during their time out, though he managed to keep his mood in check, at least on the outside. As he kept repeating to himself over and over again, they meant to harm. There was nothing wrong with them wanting to mention how their mother “always” did something with them during this time of the year.

On the inside, however, he was feeling poorly. The constant reminder that his daughters didn’t have a mother had soured his mood. There was a tiny voice in the back of his mind that wouldn’t stop nagging him, that kept telling him that this was all his fault. These girls wouldn’t have to worry about being the only ones in their classes that didn’t have a mother and a father had it not been for him. Had it not been for his inability to make things work.

They wanted their mother back.

And he was the reason why she wasn’t there.

“Daddy, can we go again next week?” Daisy later asked as they were on their way home, bouncing in the backseat and no doubt wound up by the amount of sugar she’d consumed. “I wanna try the next flavor of the week!”

“We’ll see,” Neville replied. “I’d rather you spend your weekends going forward working on homework.”

“Boo, that’s boring!”

“You can say whatever you want, you’ll be thanking me in the future when you get good grades, kiddo.”

They went back and forth for a little while longer, and before they knew it they were pulling into their driveway. “We should bring Wade next time!” Jen suggested as she walked towards the front door, her sister and father not far behind.

“Maybe,” Neville started. “If he ever gets a job, we can take him out to celebrate.”

“When’s he’s gonna get a job?” Daisy asked.

“I’ve been asking myself that same question for years, Daze. Doesn’t look like I’m gonna get an answer any time soon--”

“Mr. Moose!!” Daisy suddenly exclaimed and bolted in the direction of the sidewalk.

Neville blinked as he stared at the spot where she’d just been. _So much for our conversation, I guess._  “Um, who?” He turned to watch her, his eyes widening when he saw that she was heading directly towards Mustafa. _How long has he been standing there?!_ “O-Oh, hello there,” he greeted him.

“Guess what we all did today!” Daisy said. Mustafa opened his mouth as if he were about to respond, but she cut him off. “Daddy got us ice cream!”

“And you had far too much sugar.” Neville placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her away from him. “Let’s not crowd, uh… ‘Mr. Moose’, shall we?” Where in the world did she even come up with such a nickname? Had the two of them even spoken enough times to be on nickname-basis? As far as he knew, they’d only spoken one other time before that day.

Either way, Mustafa laughed at her, clearly not bothered. “That sounds awesome!” He said. “You’ve got a really great daddy, don’t you?” He smiled at Neville.

“We do!” Jen had now decided to join the conversation. “The best.”

“The bestest dad ever!” Daisy wrapped her arms around her father, and he gave her a little pat on the back in return.

“Aww, shucks, now you’re just flattering me…” Neville looked down at her with a bashful smile, his face feeling a little hot (and only growing hotter at Mustafa’s chuckle).

“Ladies, would you mind if I borrowed the ‘bestest dad ever’ for a moment? There’s something I gotta give him.” Mustafa asked, prompting Neville to raise his eyebrows in surprise. What was this all about?

“What are you gonna give him?” Jen asked, looking to Neville. “Daddy, what’s he gonna give you?”

“Good question,” Neville replied. Confused as he was, he was also very curious. “Head on inside, girls. I’ll join you in a little bit, okay?” Neville said.

“Bye Mr. Moose!” Daisy said, both girls giving him a small wave in parting as they turned and went in the direction of the house.

“Oh, and please don’t hurt Wade while I’m out. I want to come back and find him in one piece, please.” The lack of response to this plea was a little concerning to Neville, though he supposed that there were more important things to focus on -- namely, the man standing in front of him.

“‘Mr. Moose’...” Mustafa quoted. “It’s got a nice ring to it.”

“I’m sorry about that, I’ll have to talk to her later about giving nicknames to people she hardly knows.”

“No need, I like it!” He grinned. “It’s very fitting. I think I’m gonna ask people to start calling me that from now on.”

“So, what’s this about you having something for me?”

“Oh, right. It’s actually over at my place. Sorry, I didn’t actually bring it over with me.”

“That’s fine, but why did you leave it home?” Neville asked as he started to follow Mustafa over to his house. Why would he tell Neville that he had something to give him and then not even bring it with him?

“I, uh… didn’t want the girls to see it, since it’s cookies and all. They’d probably want to eat them all right away and spoil their appetites for dinner. Figured that was the _last_ thing you wanted.”

“...I see.” Neville didn’t want to say it, but he felt like that was a weak excuse -- like he’d just come up with it on the spot. If Neville didn’t know any better, he would think that that was an excuse for Mustafa to bring him into his house again.

And if this ended up being true, it meant that he was probably going to bring up the date.

The same date that Neville still hadn’t made up his mind about yet.

 _Shit_.

“S-So are these cookies chocolate chip again?” Neville asked once they were standing in Mustafa’s hallway, trying to keep his cool. The last time they’d been standing together in this same spot, Mustafa had loaned him his hoodie (which Neville still needed to return, now that he thought about it) and asked him one of the most confusing questions he’d been asked in recent memory.

“They are indeed.” Mustafa smiled, motioning for Neville to follow him into the kitchen. “I know they’re your favorite, so I just _had_ to make them again.”

“Nice! I had some of the last ones you made, they were so good. You’re a real pro at this baking thing, you know that?”

“Meh, I’m alright.” He laughed. “Thanks, though.”

“Maybe you can give me some pointers?” Neville asked with a smirk as he crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. “Since I’m absolutely awful at cooking.”

“Aww, don’t say that. I’m sure you’re great.” Mustafa picked up a small bag of cookies from the counter.

“You don’t understand, I’m _terrible_ at it. Like, so bad. Wade usually has to handle the cooking since I end up burning things more often than not.”

“Really?” He frowned. “Well, I don’t mind giving you some tips. Maybe one day when you’re not busy I can show you what to do. For the time being, however…” He handed over the bag. “I believe these are yours. Don’t you go spoiling _your own_ appetite, now.”

“I’ll try, but I can’t guarantee anything.” Neville smiled. “God, ice cream and cookies in one day… I can’t even remember the last time I had this many sweets.”

“What was the ice cream for, if you don’t mind me asking?” Mustafa asked. “Like, is it one of the girls’ birthdays or…?”

“No, it’s just a yearly tradition. They like to get ice cream once school starts up again.” Neville cleared his throat, continuing before he could stop himself. “It was my wife’s idea, as they make sure to remind me…” He laughed a little bitterly.

Mustafa’s brow furrowed. “Really? Well, it’s… nice that they like to keep the tradition alive, at least.”

“It _sure_ is…” Neville looked down towards the floor, biting his cheek. _Why_ did he have to go and bring up his wife? He could have easily just said it was a tradition and left it at that.

“Adrian, are you… okay?” Neville looked up and noticed that Mustafa now appeared concerned.

 _Great, now he’s worried about me_. “It’s… really nothing. Just me being dumb again.” He tried to laugh it off, but Mustafa didn’t look like he was having any of it.

“You’re not dumb.”

“I… _kinda_ am, though. I mean, I’m letting myself get _this_ bothered over something so small. It’s really nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” A lie. “It’s not that big of a deal, I promise.” Another lie.

Mustafa chewed on his lower lip for a beat. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I know you and I haven’t known each other long, but… I still want you to know that I’m here for you if you need someone.”

“I appreciate it, though I wouldn’t want to burden you with my stupid marital problems. I’m sure you have enough problems of your own and don’t need mine on top of them.”

“So this is about your wife, huh?” _Great fucking job, Neville! You told the guy who asked you out that you’re having weird thoughts about your ex-wife -- that’s_ **_exactly_ ** _what he wants to hear!_

“Not just her, it’s… about the kids, too. Some stuff that they’ve been saying lately.”

“I can… probably relate a little bit, actually. To the dating part, at least.” Mustafa scratched the back of his head. “I’ve, uh, been having some trouble with an ex lately, too.”

“Have you?” Neville was surprised to hear that.

“Mhm. He was the first guy I’d ever been with. We never got married or anything, but we were pretty serious for awhile before… well, before he cheated on me.”

“God…”

“He’s been texting me a lot these last few days. I’m guessing he wants to get back together.” Mustafa looked past Neville, suddenly finding the wall much more interesting to look at. “I know it’s not exactly the same thing that you’re dealing with, but… I just wanted to let you know that you’re not alone. I’ve been through this kinda stuff before, and I’m willing to help you out.”

The room fell silent. Neville never would have guessed that Mustafa had dealt with something like this before. Not only that, but he’d been _cheated on_ . _How the fuck could anybody cheat on_ **_him_ ** _?_ He had never met anybody who could relate to him on this subject -- he had spoken about it to Wade very briefly, but Wade had never dealt with something like this. He’d never had a serious partner before.

Right in front of Neville stood a man who was completely willing to help him get through whatever the hell it was he was currently dealing with, someone who wouldn’t judge him for anything that he said. Could Neville really pass up this opportunity?

“...Adrian, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, okay?” Mustafa spoke first, shaking his head. “Geez, I’m really sorry if I made it seem like you _had_ to talk to me. I don’t know what I was thinking. This is your business, not mine.”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Neville assured. “You’re only trying to help. It… really means a lot to me.”

“It’s okay if you want to go now. I don’t want you to feel obligated to stick around if you really don’t want to. And I know you told the girls you’d only be gone a couple of minutes, so I don’t want to keep you for too long since they’re expecting you.”

“No.” Neville took a deep breath, finding his resolve. He took his phone out of his pocket. “...I think… I’m gonna text Wade and let him know that I’ll be out for a little longer. So he can tell the girls not to worry.”

“So, you want to talk? You’re sure?”

“...Yeah. I do.”

* * *

 “Remember that you don’t have to tell me anything that you don’t want to, okay?” Mustafa reminded him. The two of them were both seated on the couch, mugs of coffee in their hands. Neville was staring down into the dark liquid, a frown on his face as he nodded.

“I understand,” he replied, running his tongue over his dry lower lip.

“Don’t feel like you have to tell me everything. Only what you’re comfortable sharing.”

Neville nodded again, his grip tightening on the mug. “So…” God, where did he even start? There was so much on his mind -- _too_ much. “I’ve been having these… complicated thoughts lately. Thoughts I haven’t had in a really long time.”

“About what?”

“Do you ever…” Neville paused, unsure how to phrase what he was going to say. “Do you ever get the feeling that it’s your fault why things are the way they are? Like… things would be better if you’d left it alone and hadn’t gotten involved?”

Mustafa frowned at him. “Well, yeah. Everyone has thoughts like that sometimes. Like, there have been times I’ve seen fights in my classroom and I’d try to mediate it, but things only got worse. Things like that just happen.”

“I’m talking about relationships, though. Like, when you were with your ex, did you ever do something to him and then regret it later?”

Mustafa scratched his chin, taking a moment to ponder his reply. “I mean, I’m sure I have at some point. He and I were together a while, so I can’t remember every little thing that happened. I know I’ve made mistakes, though. Main one being getting with him in the first place.” He laughed a little self-derisively. “But is that what’s been on your mind lately?”

“More or less.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my divorce in the last few weeks.”

“What kind of thinking?”

“Well… I had this dream about my wife. Dreams about her usually don’t bother me, but this one stuck with me for whatever reason. I didn’t get over it as quickly as I normally did.”

“What happened in it?”

“It wasn’t even anything crazy. She just gave me a kiss, that’s it. I’m not sure why the hell it’s bugging me this much.”

“Probably because it’s been awhile since you’ve even thought about kissing her. It kinda threw you for a loop.”

“Maybe…” Neville stared down into his coffee again. “I’ve also been wondering if maybe I made a mistake divorcing her in the first place.”

“Really?” Mustafa looked away from him and down towards his lap. After a moment, he finally looked to Neville again and asked, “Do you miss her at all?”

“This might not sound good, but I really don’t. It’s not that I dislike her or anything -- Marina is an excellent woman and a great mother -- but the two of us just couldn’t be together anymore. I worry that the _girls_ miss her, though.”

“I see.” Mustafa tapped the side of his mug with his fingers, his nails making a clinking sound. “Have they said anything about missing her?”

“I’ve never heard them say anything like that, no, but… They brought her up a _lot_ while we were out today, which I sort of expected since the ice cream thing _was_ her idea, but… It still made me feel weird. And I keep thinking that maybe…” He trailed off.

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe they’re… mad at me.” Neville’s voice cracked a little at the end, and he swallowed. He would be damned if he ended up crying -- Mustafa would probably think he’s some weirdo if he just burst into tears mid-conversation.

“You think they’re mad at you? Why would you say that?” Mustafa’s tone was soft, his eyebrows scrunched together.

“How can they not be? I know _I’d_ be mad at me, if I were them. I was one of the main reasons for the divorce.”

“How so?”

Neville took a long sip from his mug, attempting to compose himself before starting. “Ever since we’d gotten married and had Jen, our relationship felt… odd. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why -- I’d just gotten with an amazing woman, and we had a child together. We even had a second little girl on the way. You’d think I’d be the happiest man alive. I definitely thought I was.

“But the more that time went on, the more things changed. The more I started to feel like I was doing something wrong. None of it made any goddamn sense to me. She hadn’t done anything to offend me or make me hate her. She was the greatest woman I’d ever met, and I knew I still had very strong feelings towards her. I just… wasn’t sure if they were romantic or not.”

“You guys didn’t get into any big fights or anything?” Mustafa asked.

“I mean, we _did_ fight sometimes, but that’s expected in a relationship. We never had any major arguments, though. And with each passing day I was finding myself less and less interested in being with not just her, but… anybody, really.” Neville sighed. “And things only seemed to get weirder once Daisy was born. I ended up talking to Wade to get his opinion. I told him everything that I was feeling because I thought that he could help, and he definitely did. Much more than I honestly thought he would.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me that everything that I’d been going through was very similar to what he’d been dealing with for a good portion of his life. He said that when he was in his teens he’d been with a few girls, but nothing serious ever came out of those relationships. He never felt a connection with any of them, even though they were all great girls. It was only after he’d given the whole thing a lot of thought that he realized that he was feeling this way because he…” Neville trailed off again.

“Because he what?”

He took a deep breath. “Well… because he only liked guys.”

“Oh…” Mustafa paused, causing the room to become silent. “So what you’re saying is… after you talked to Wade, you realized that _you_ are also into guys?”

“Yes.” Neville licked his lower lip.

“How did your wife -- uh, you said her name is Marina? How did she react?”

“She… actually handled it fairly well. I guess she sort of figured that there was something going on since I’d been so distant. She finally got closure. But she was definitely still upset -- her husband _did_ just tell her that he wasn’t attracted to her. That doesn’t exactly bring a smile to someone’s face.”

“So you guys got divorced after that?”

“Not right away, no. We knew that we were going to, but we couldn’t afford to just rush into it. That, and we had two little girls who needed their parents. Even if it was just as friends, we still needed to raise them as their guardians.” He shook his head. “In hindsight, that was a mistake. It wasn’t fair to anybody for us to force ourselves to stay together -- not me, not her, and especially not Daisy and Jen.

“She moved out once the process was over with, and for a little while it seemed like everything was okay. The girls still went to see her pretty often, and she and I were still friends. Then she found a new partner, and she ended up having to move to a whole different state for her job. It’s been quite some time since the girls have been able to talk with her.” He looked down. “I know they must miss her terribly.”

“Is that why you think that they’re mad at you?”

Neville couldn’t bring himself to respond to Mustafa’s question. He opened his mouth, but the words would never come out. “I-I…” was all he’d been able to get out before he felt tears prickling at his eyes again. He tried to blink them away before Mustafa noticed how upset he was getting, though his attempts proved to be futile, as he felt a hand on his shoulder at that moment.

“Adrian?” He asked with a gentle voice.

Neville felt one of the tears start to roll down his cheek, and he roughly wiped it away. “Fuck…” He muttered under his breath, Mustafa’s grip on his shoulder tightening as a result. “God, I’m so sorry for this…” He gritted his teeth, his ears red with embarrassment.

“Hey, it’s okay…” Mustafa took their mugs and placed them down on the coffee table (next to the cookies that had led to this whole scene) before scooting closer to him, placing an arm around his shoulders. “If it’s too much, you don’t have to say anything else. Don’t push yourself.”

Neville rested his head on his shoulder, taking a few breaths. When Mustafa had first invited Neville into his home, Neville had initially thought he would be in and out. He was only going to pick up a gift, right? He wouldn’t be in there for longer than a few minutes. He never anticipated that he would end up like _this_.

“I-I…” He started again. “I _do_ think that that’s why they’re mad at me. They’d still have a mother if it weren’t for me, wouldn’t they? If I hadn’t insisted on looking into these stupid fucking feelings of mine and just left it be, then we’d still be together. They would have _both_ their parents, not just their dad. I fucked up.”

“No you didn’t. Things would have been _worse_ if you hadn’t done anything.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you’d be living a lie. You said before that trying to stay together for the girls’ sake wasn’t fair to anyone, doesn’t that also apply to this? It wasn’t fair to _you_ either. If you denied how you felt and tried to make the whole thing work all for them, things would have turned out poorly. You would’ve gotten hurt. Being honest was the right choice.”

“But being honest took away their mother, didn’t it? They never get to see her anymore! God, the three of them would all be hanging out together right now if it hadn’t been for me. I ruined things for everyone.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, I _promise you_ that. Please believe me. I know that both of your girls love you to death -- don’t you remember before you came over here and we were all talking? They were calling you the best dad ever. You and I both know that little kids aren’t shy when it comes to making their opinions known. If they really hated you, they definitely would have told you by now.”

“How can you be so sure that they weren’t just saying that because you were there?”

“Like I just said, kids really don’t have much of a filter when they’re at this age. If anything, they’d be _more_ likely to share their opinion of you when they have an audience.”

Neville swallowed deeply and took off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes. He knew that Mustafa was probably right, but there was still such a large part of him that was doubting everything that he’d just said, and he felt like absolute shit because of that fact. He was trying _so hard_ to help Neville feel better, and here he was, rejecting what he’d been told.

“Do you think…” Neville said as he put his glasses back on. “Do you think I’m a good dad?” He knew that it was a stupid question -- they had only known each other for a month. How could he possibly know about Neville’s parenting skills?

“Of course I do,” Mustafa replied, raising a hand and beginning to lightly stroke Neville’s hair. “I can tell from this conversation alone just how much you care about the girls. You don’t sound like someone who’s a bad parent.”

“I’m just trying so hard, Mustafa,” he quietly said. “I’m trying so goddamn hard to be the best dad to them that I can be. I feel like I’m not there for them as often as I should be, since I have to work and all.”

“It’s not like they never get to see you anymore. And besides, they have Wade, don’t they? It’s not like they’re always by themselves.”

“Yes, but Wade isn’t their dad. _I_ am. It’s not fair to him that I keep making him watch them for me.”

“Does he mind it?”

“No, he’s okay with it. He’s…” Neville paused. “He’s made it clear to me that he isn’t interested in being their father, though. With how often they’re all together, you’d think he _is_ , but he’s definitely not, which I don’t fault him for at all. As okay with babysitting as he claims is, I know I can’t rely on him forever.”

“Well…” Mustafa started. “If you want… I can watch them sometimes.”

“I can’t ask you to do that. Don’t you have to work, too?”

“I do… but I have days off. There are gonna be days when school is closed but you still have to work, aren’t there? If you ever need any extra help and wanna give Wade some time off, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’d be more than happy to spend some time with them.”

“You’re really willing to do that for me?”

“Absolutely. I really do care about you, Adrian. I know that things aren’t exactly easy for you and that you’re under a lot of stress, and I want to help you out in any way that I can.”

“I… really appreciate it…Thank you. So much.” Neville looked down at his lap. Mustafa _cared_ about him. Knowing that there was another person out there that actually gave a shit about him and how he felt made him feel as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

It was while Neville was looking in this direction that he noticed how close they were -- their knees were brushing up against each other. Not only that, but his head was still resting on his shoulder, and Mustafa was still gently petting his hair. It felt… _nice_ sitting with him like this. Being so close filled him with a comfortable feeling of warmth, one that he hadn’t felt in what seemed like forever.

He wanted to feel this way more often.

And Neville finally looked up, found himself once again entranced by Mustafa’s brown eyes, the same way he had when they first met.

And he realized.

What he’d been feeling for all these weeks was without a doubt _real_.

“You okay now?” Mustafa said.

“Yeah.” Neville nodded. “H-Hey, so… there’s actually something else I want to tell you.”

“Hmm? What’s that?”

“I…” Neville swallowed, a little hesitant, his face red. “I haven’t actually been… _with_ anybody for awhile. I’ve been too nervous… But I think I’m ready now.” He took a deep breath, composing himself. “What I’m trying to say is… yes, I _will_ go to that coffee shop with you.”

Mustafa’s eyebrows raised, and he smiled. “Really? Are you sure you’re up for it?”

“I’m sure. It’s been so long since the last time I felt this way, and… I really want to get to know you better.”

Mustafa smiled, wrapping both arms around him now and pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m so glad.”

“Me too.” There was still part of Neville that was nervous, that made him think that he was making a mistake and rushing things.

But he didn’t care about that. In that moment, Mustafa was the only thing that mattered to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :')


	5. Black Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for Nev to become even MORE of a nervous wreck.

Neville had been so eager to inform Mustafa that he was willing to go on a date with him that he hadn’t even realized one glaring problem with the whole thing: he had absolutely no clue what he was doing.

It had been _years_ since the last time he went on an actual date with somebody, and as such he was a little rusty when it came to the basics. For starters, what was he supposed to wear? Seeing as this was only a trip to a coffee shop, he knew that whatever he wore would have to be casual, but not _too_ casual. He didn’t want Mustafa to think that he was a slob who didn’t care about his appearance -- maybe a t-shirt and jeans?

Then he remembered something unfortunate as he was digging around in his closet -- he didn’t _own_ anything casual. Most of his wardrobe consisted of button-down shirts and dress pants. All things that he normally wore to work. Nothing that screamed “coffee date”.

Not only that, but how was he supposed to act? Should he act like he normally did? Or should he try to change things up a little bit and act more romantic, maybe throw in a few pick-up lines? The latter seemed like the right way to go, but would Mustafa appreciate it? How would he react if Neville wasn’t acting like his true self? Would he even be able to tell? So many questions were flitting through Neville’s mind, but not a single answer arose.

He was staring down at a few shirts that he had laid out on his bed. After going through everything that he had in his closet, he was down to the final two options -- a plain black polo and a dark purple dress shirt. On one hand, purple was his favorite color, so he was tempted to pick that one. On the other hand, he felt like a dress shirt was too formal, and the polo seemed like the better option. “Why is this so complicated?” He grumbled aloud, crossing his arms.

“Why is _what_ so complicated?” Neville jumped and spun to face the doorway, spotting Wade standing there, looking confused.

“Nothing, nothing!” He assured, forcing a smile to his face. “Don’t worry about it.” Christ, he’d completely forgotten to mention the date to him. He knew that the moment he admitted to Wade that he was seeing Mustafa, he would be teased to the high heavens. Under absolutely no circumstances could he find out about it.

“You were staring pretty intently down at those shirts.” He sauntered into the room. “Why?”

“U-Uh… yeah! Yeah, I was! That’s because I… was debating which of the two to give away! Y’know, to charity! I figured I already had so many of these damn things that someone else could use them more than me.”

Wade looked impressed. “Well that’s awfully nice of you. I probably have some old stuff that I can give away too.”

“We’re a very charitable household, aren’t we? Now, if you’ll excuse me…” He tried to usher Wade out of the room.

“Woah, woah, what’s the rush? You’re acting like you’re hiding something.”

“Me? Hiding something? No, no, I would never hide anything from you!”

“If you’re not hiding anything, then why are you trying to get rid of me? At least let me see something before you kick me out.” Wade shooed him away and picked up the purple shirt, looking at the tag. “If you’re gonna give one of these two away, it should be this one. It’s _definitely_ too small on you now.”

“You think?”

“Mm. It’d be way too tight on you. Keep the black one, you look good in it.” He made to toss the shirt in Neville’s direction. “Maybe you can give it to Mustafa when you go on your date.”

Neville suddenly became rigid, and as a result made no attempt to catch the shirt, which landed on his head. “...Excuse me?” His voice was small and a little muffled.

“You know, your date. The one you guys are going on. When is it, by the way? I’m a little foggy on the details.”

“Wait, wait, how do you know we’re going on a date?! We’re not!” Neville snatched the shirt off of his head, dropping it to the floor. “Who told you that?!”

“Daisy.” Wade shrugged, as if it were obvious. “I asked her and Jen why you hadn’t come home with them and she told me that you went to Mustafa’s house for a little while. I gotta admit, Nev, you _were_ over there for quite some time...” He pursed his lips at him.

“Was it really that long?”

“Close to an hour. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you two were getting… up to something.” He smirked. “If you catch my drift.”

Neville’s face grew bright red, and he took a deep breath. “We were just talking, no big deal. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you were talking about? Since it’s not a big deal.”

“The weather,” Neville answered a little quickly, but it was the best that he could come up with.

“It took you _that_ long to talk about the weather?”

“Well,… We had a long talk about… climate change…” _This is getting worse before it gets better._ “That kinda stuff takes longer than just a few minutes to talk about, y’know? Mustafa can be very wordy when he gets on a subject he’s really passionate about.”

Wade blinked at him, clearly not convinced. Still, he sighed, and he started to back out of the room, keeping his gaze locked on Neville. “Fine, whatever. Don’t tell me. I get it. Whatever you guys discussed was a secret. I won’t pry--” As he said this, Neville’s phone vibrated on top of his dresser, and Wade grabbed it before Neville could even react.

“Hey, give me that!!” Neville lunged at him, only to be held back effortlessly by one of Wade’s arms.

“‘Moose’?!” Wade laughed, holding the phone high above Neville’s head as he read the preview of the text. “That’s the name you gave him in your phone? Seriously?”

“Stop!”

“‘Does Saturday at two work for you?’ Well, does it work, Nev? Better let him know before he gets mad and cancels your little date.” Wade was smirking now, his tongue darting out of his mouth and running along his lower lip. He handed over the phone at long last. “Oh, _God_ , I love being right about things.”

After snatching the device from his hands, Neville made another attempt to shove him out of the room. “This is why I was so hesitant to tell you, because I knew you would pull this bullshit!”

Wade stood rooted in place, looking down at Neville with surprise written on his face. He would normally make some comment about how Neville owed yet another dollar to Jen’s swear jar, but something about the tone in his voice kept him from doing so. “Wait, what are you talking about?”

“I didn’t want to tell you about the date because I knew all you were going to do was tease me -- like you’ve been doing all this time! God, I can’t even _breath_ in the direction of Mustafa’s house without you making some sort of comment about when our wedding date was going to be.” Neville huffed, sitting down on the edge of the bed and unlocking his phone.

Wade remained silent during the minute that it took Neville to confirm the time and day, and he finally spoke again once Neville had tucked his phone safely in his pocket. “Did my teasing really bother you _that_ much, Nev? You don’t usually get this upset.”

“I was fine with it in the beginning, but you ran it into the damn ground. A few lighthearted comments here and there is fine, but that’s not what you did. I couldn’t even mention him without you saying something. I went over to his house not too long ago and you spammed me with ridiculous texts. And then there’s what you just did! You kept my phone from me all so you could tease me over the texts he sent me. That’s not just simple teasing.”

“Why didn’t you say something sooner? If it really bothered you, then I definitely would’ve stopped.”

“Except I _did_ tell you! I told you the very first time you did it. I said that I wasn’t interested in getting with Mustafa and was under the impression that you were going to stop -- y’know, like you said you were _going to_. Clearly, I was wrong.” He sighed. “I’ve known he’s wanted to take me out for awhile now, you know.”

“Did he?”

“Yeah, he asked me a few weeks ago. I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you were never going to let me hear the end of it.”

Wade looked like he wasn’t sure what to say. “Damn…” He clicked his tongue. “I didn’t realize you were this hurt.”

“It’s not that I’m _hurt_ , just frustrated.” Neville felt his phone vibrate again, and he took a quick look, smiling when he saw Mustafa’s excited response (and feeling his heart skip a beat at the purple heart emoji at the end of the text).

“...Hey, Nev…” Wade started, sitting down next to him. “I’m sorry.”

“Do you mean it? Or are you just saying it because you know I’m mad at you?”

“Of course I meant it. Listen, I never would have said anything if I’d known just how much this was bugging you.”

“But you _did_ know.”

“I know, and I feel bad for not listening. We tease each other all the time, so I figured that you’d be okay with it.” After a beat, Wade spoke again, snapping his fingers. “Hey, I have an idea.”

“Oh God.” Neville rolled his eyes. “What _now_?”

“Let me make it up to you.”

“How?”

“I’ll help you get ready for your date!”

“You-- Excuse me?” Neville’s eyes were wide. “You’re going to _help_ me?”

“Of course! That’s what friends do, right?” Wade put an arm around Neville’s shoulders, squeezing him tightly. “And you and I are friends, right? _Right_? You’re not gonna kick me out or anything?”

Neville sighed. “No, not _yet_ ,” he replied. Wade was a jackass, but he was _Neville’s_ jackass. “As long as you don’t keep beating a dead horse with this Mustafa thing, I won’t have to give you the boot. A joke now and again is fine, but don’t make a huge deal about it.”

“Can I still tease you about other stuff?”

“...Fine.”

“Thank _God_.”

* * *

Saturday came too quickly.

In the end, Neville had decided on wearing the polo. He was looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, buttoning the shirt right up to his neck. “Does this look good?” He asked, slicking back his hair with his hand and looking at Wade’s reflection.

Wade was behind him, leaning against the doorframe and looking unimpressed. “You do realize that you don’t have to button it up like that, don’t you?” He pointed out. “Mustafa’s gonna think you’re a geek.”

“But I can’t just walk around with it unbuttoned! It’ll feel… weird.”

“Not as weird as Mustafa laughing at you over your choice of fashion. Here, lemme fix it.” Before Neville could retort, Wade approached him, reaching over and quickly undoing the top button. “Heh, been awhile since I did that. I’m still an expert at unbuttoning your shirts.”

“Shut up!” Neville looked away in an attempt to hide his red face. “God, of all days you could have chosen to fuck with me, you choose _today_?”

“I’m not fucking with you! I’m showing support for my best friend as he goes out on a _date_. His first one in ages!” Wade gave him a pat on the back. “My little boy’s all grown up now…”

“Shut _up_ …” Neville grumbled again, pushing past Wade and exiting out into the hallway. He felt his phone vibrate as he was going down the stairs, and he checked once he was at the bottom. “Mustafa’s waiting for me in his car.” He breathed out. “I should probably head over now.”

“You nervous?”

“Of course. I can’t even remember the last time I was this nervous for something.” Neville felt like he was back in high school, about to make a big presentation in front of the entire class. His stomach was doing backflips.

“Just remember the expert advice I gave you the other day,” Wade said as he guided him over to the door.

“You mean the advice you stole from Google?”

“No, WikiHow.” Wade began to count on his fingers as he said, “Be yourself, compliment him when appropriate, don’t act like a dork -- I know you’ll have a lot of trouble with that one--”

“Wade…”

“--wear a condom--”

“ _Wade_.”

“Sorry, couldn’t help it!” Wade snorted, opening the door up for Neville. “Your reaction was _priceless_.”

“Of all the people I could’ve befriended, I just _had_ to choose you…” Right as Neville was about to walk out, he suddenly stopped. “Oh, and be sure to tell the girls that I’m just out running an errand if they ask where I am,” he said.

Wade frowned. “Fine, but… why don’t you want to tell them the truth?”

“Because I don’t want them to get their hopes up. I mean, there’s no guarantee that this date will even go well. If I tell them where I’m going, they might get excited. I don’t want them to be crushed.”

Wade shook his head, an amused look on his face. “You’re overthinking this, you know that? You and I both know that this date is going to go fine.”

“Can you say that for sure? Or are you just speculating?”

“The only one speculating here is _you_ , Nev. I personally think you should tell them.”

“Fine, then how about this?” Neville started. “If by some chance there is a second date -- and that’s a big _if_ \-- then I’ll tell them.”

“Sounds good to me.” Wade chuckled when he saw Neville reach for his phone again, having received another text from Mustafa. “Don’t keep your boy waiting any longer. Have fun, and remember what I said about the condom.”

“I’d kill you if I wasn’t running late.”

Neville waited until after the door had shut behind him to hastily redo his top button, throwing a glare back at the house even though he knew Wade couldn’t see him. He made his way to the sidewalk and caught sight of Mustafa’s car, sitting in his driveway next door. Taking a deep breath, Neville walked towards it, approaching the passenger’s side door and giving the window a little knock to get Mustafa’s attention.

“There you are!” Mustafa grinned at Neville once he was inside. “I was beginning to wonder where you were. Everything good, Adrian?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Neville replied with a grin of his own. “I just got held up by Wade for a little bit. Sorry about that.”

“No worries! We’re not in any real rush or anything.” He assured as he began to back the car up. “I’m just glad I get to hang out with you.”

“Aww…” Neville turned away to look out of the window, hoping to hide his rosy cheeks. “...Could I ask you for a possibly weird favor?”

“Oh boy.” He chuckled. “What’s up?”

“Do you think you could just call me ‘Neville’?”

“What for?”

“I’ve never been big on ‘Adrian’, to be honest. I usually ask my friends to call me by my last name. And, well… we’re definitely friends now, so…”

“I get where you’re coming from. If that’s what you want, then I’d be happy to do it, _Nevy_ .” He gave Neville a little pat on the shoulder. _‘Nevy’? And I thought Wade just calling me ‘Nev’ was silly._

For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. Neville finally looked over at him again, taking in all of his features. Now that he had decided to give dating another chance, it was like he was looking at Mustafa a whole new way. Everything about him, from his soft hair to his entrancing eyes, was suddenly even more attractive.

Neville hadn’t even noticed that they’d stopped at a red light until Mustafa looked back at him, the little snort he let out bringing him back to reality. “What?”

“U-Uh, what?” _Smooth. Real smooth._

“You’re staring at me.”

“Am I? Huh. I didn’t notice.” Neville took a deep breath. “You… You look really good today, you know that?”

Mustafa’s eyebrows raised, and he smiled again. “Thanks!” The light changed, and he continued to drive. “You look nice, too. I love the shirt.”

“Do you?” Neville was a little surprised. “I personally think it’s too… dressy. I don’t own any casual clothes, honestly.” He noticed that Mustafa was wearing jeans and a t-shirt -- clothes that were actually fitting for the occasion.

“What are you talking about? You look great. The only thing about your look that I’ll criticize is the top button.”

“Come on, you too?!” Neville groaned. “Wade was giving me hell for this button earlier. Kept saying that I should unbutton it or else I’ll look like a geek.”

“I mean, you kinda do…”

“Hey!”

“A cute geek, though!” Mustafa continued. “A very, _very_ cute geek.”

 _He just said that I’m cute…_ “Your flattery is noted. And appreciated,” he added as they pulled up to the coffee shop.

“Well, if you want more casual clothes, maybe I can take you out shopping one day.” He turned the car off. “Let’s hope this place lives up to the hype. One of the other teachers was raving about it the other day.”

Just as Neville was about to get out of the car, Mustafa suddenly grabbed his arm, and he froze up. He only grew even more tense as Mustafa leaned in, his other hand reaching towards Neville’s face…

...And moving down to his top button.

“How can you breathe with it like that?” He teased as he undid it. Neville wanted to retort, but he was too distracted by how close their faces were, the hint of mint on Mustafa’s breath causing his heart to skip a beat. “There we go. Much better.”

“T-Thanks for making me look like less of a geek.”

“Oh, you still look like one. But, like I said before, you’re also cute. Adorable, even.” He winked. “Come on, let’s get inside.”

After panicking for a few more seconds, Neville followed Mustafa out of the car, grinning at him as he held the door open for him and walking into the shop. It was as busy as Neville expected, most of the tables taken already. He was able to spot a free one in the very back. “Should I go grab that one?” He asked.

“Yeah. You get get a table, and I’ll get our stuff. What do you want?”

“Um…” Neville remembered back to Wade’s advice from before, when he said that Neville should just be himself. “Just a plain black coffee is fine.” _Whatever Wade tells you to do, always do the opposite._

Mustafa smiled confusedly. “Are you sure? No sugar or milk or anything?”

“No, just black.”

“If you say so.” He gave Neville a pat on the shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Neville hurried over to the table and sat down, looking around at the other faces in the cafe. From what he could tell, most of the patrons appeared to be college students, the majority of them hunched over a laptop and typing away. The semester had only just started, and yet it already looked as if they were swamped with assignments. Neville remembered those days, and he didn’t miss them one bit.

Now that Neville gave it some thought, if someone had told his college-aged self that this was where he would be in ten years time, he would laugh in their face. While he was still in school, Neville had big plans for his future. He was pursuing a Psychology degree, planning on possibly even becoming a school psychologist one day. He even had a lovely girlfriend, who he was dreaming of marrying once they both graduated.

Fast forward to the present. Neville didn’t have an established career -- he was working an office job. That girlfriend who he was so sure he loved wasn’t even in his life anymore. Not only that, but he’d been entirely wrong about his sexuality. It was certainly… _interesting_ how things turned out for him.

He couldn’t dwell on these thoughts for much longer, however, as Mustafa had suddenly approached his table, sitting across from him. “I still think you’re a bit nuts for getting plain black, by the way,” he teased as he handed over Neville’s drink.

“Oh, hush,” Neville replied. “I’m more than capable of handling this.” He took a sip, trying with all his might not to make a face at the taste. He knew it was going to be bitter, but this was far more than he was expecting. _Maybe I should’ve gone with tea instead..._

“Are you _sure_ you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Neville waved his hand, clearing his throat. “Let’s talk about something else now, shall we?”

“Hmm, like what?”

“Like…” He drummed his fingers on the table. “Why’d you move? Something wrong with your old neighborhood?”

“Not at all,” Mustafa said, taking a sip of his own drink -- a chai latte. “I had a lot of great neighbors. It was a great place to live, but I really needed to move. The commute to work was becoming a real pain in the ass.”

“Why?”

“I was almost always late. It was like no matter what time I left the house, I could never get to the school on time.”

“And things are easier for you now?”

“Mm.” He nodded. “Definitely. It only takes me a few minutes to get there.”

“Good to hear.” Silence fell, and Neville suddenly felt awkward. _Is he waiting for me to ask something else? Or is he just thinking of something to ask me?_ “Is teaching hard?” He decided to say.

“It can be. Like, for the most part the kids are well behaved, so that’s not the issue. I’m more worried that I’m not doing a good job.”

“Why would you say that?”

“I dunno.” He tapped his fingers on the side of his cup. “I’ll see that one of my students got a bad grade on a test, and I’ll feel like it’s my fault somehow. I should have done a better job teaching them, y’know?” He stared down at the table.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it, mate.” Neville reached over and patted him on the arm. “Sometimes, people get bad grades. It’s part of life. Doesn’t mean that it’s your fault or anything -- maybe the kid just didn’t study enough.”

“I guess… Still, I feel like I could always do better. I’m far from perfect.” He rested his arms on the table, leaning forward. “Tell me a little about your job, now!”

Neville snorted. “What do you wanna know?”

“Literally anything.”

“Well, it’s boring as hell,” he explained with a shrug. “Only so many ways you can make writing emails exciting. Probably the most exciting thing to ever happen to me during a shift was when Wade texted me that he was planning on going in for a job interview soon. He didn’t get the job, by the way.”

“He’s struggling to get one, huh?”

“Sadly, yeah. It’s tough finding a job in this day and age.”

“True…”

Yet again they both went quiet, and Neville started to once more feel awkward. _What else should I ask him about?_ He had already asked about his old neighborhood and his job. Should he even ask any more questions? Was Mustafa going to ask him something first?

He didn’t have to fret for very long, however, as he received his answer a moment later. “So, speaking of Wade… There was something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Mustafa wore a coy smile. “I hope you don’t think it’s a weird question, but I’m super curious.”

“Oh boy.” Neville laughed. “Well, go on. Ask away.”

“So… About you and Wade…” Mustafa sipped at his drink again, peering at Nev from over the rim of the cup. “What’s the deal with you two?”

“Well, he’s my friend.”

“Okay.”

“And he’s living with me.”

“Okay.”

“And he helps take care of the girls sometimes.”

“Okay.”

Neville shrugged. “Um… I feel like I’m missing something here.”

“I was just under the impression that there was a little more going on there. You told me before that you two were only friends now, but…” He smirked. “Is that all you’ve ever been?”

Neville grew pink. “You saying that you think Wade and I have dated before?”

“I’m just curious! I don’t have a problem with it or anything. Listen, Wade is _hot_.”

“Should you really be saying this while you’re on a date with _me_?”

“It’s a fact, Neville. I wouldn’t blame you at all if you two have dated -- or if you’ve _kissed_ at the very least.”

Neville took a long sip of his coffee, his grip tightening on the cup both out of embarrassment and due to the bitterness. Was this a real conversation that he was having? He figured that there were a few people who questioned the nature of his and Wade’s relationship, but he didn’t think he would ever actually be called out on it. “Well… I guess there’s no harm in telling you.”

Mustafa beamed at him, clasping his hands together and leaning forward. “Tell me, tell me!”

“...Yes, we dated,” he admitted.

“I _knew_ it!”

“But _very_ briefly. I would say two months tops. We both knew that it wasn’t going to work out in the long run.”

“Why didn’t you guys stay together?”

“It’s like I told you the other day -- while he loves Jen and Daisy, he’s not interested in being a dad. Our relationship was a casual fling at most. Though if you ask him, we were soulmates. So many nights of passion… He’s full of it.” Neville rolled his eyes, forcing another sip of coffee into his mouth.

“Not to change the subject, but… Are you _sure_ you’re enjoying that coffee?” Mustafa chuckled. “You look like you’re being tortured.”

“What? I’m fine! See, look!” Neville brought the cup to his lips again, this time gagging a little as more coffee than he anticipated spilled out and dribbled down his chin. “Dammit…”

Mustafa smiled fondly, grabbing a napkin and starting to gently wipe at Neville’s face. “You’re a mess, you know that?”

“Unfortunately…” Not even halfway through this date, and Neville had already lost track of how many times he’d embarrassed himself. _So much more humiliation is yet to come…_

* * *

“I am _not_ looking forward to going back to work on Monday…” Neville groaned as he leaned his head back against the seat of the car, shutting his eyes. “I always have to get up so early… I miss being able to get a decent night’s sleep.”

“That makes two of us,” Mustafa replied as he pulled into his driveway. “I’ve got too much stuff to grade.”

“Even though it’s only first grade? How many tests you giving these poor kids, Moose?” Neville tensed. “Ah, you don’t mind if I call you that, do you?”

“No, not at all! I love it,” He assured. “But seriously, I don’t give them too much work. It only feels like a lot of work because I haven’t fully adjusted to working again, since school only just started.”

“I wish _I_ got summers off. You teachers don’t realize just how good you’ve got it.”

“It can get a little boring sometimes. For the most part, I’m sitting at home doing nothing. Well, maybe _next_ summer won’t be so boring, since I’ll have you…”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Neville laughed self-derisively. “I’m pretty dull.”

“Don’t say that!”

“It’s true, though! The only difference between me in the summer and me the rest of the year is that the former is more sunburnt.”

“Except it’s _not_ true.”

“How would you know that?”

“Because I just spent the afternoon with you and had a really nice time. And if you were boring, then I wouldn’t be asking you out on a second date right now.” He quirked his eyebrows up at him. “If you’re up for it, that is.”

“Absolutely!” Neville answered perhaps a little too quickly, and he smiled sheepishly. “I mean, sure.”

“Excellent. I’ll text you later and we can work out the details.” He smiled.

They both exited the car, Neville waiting until Mustafa had come around to him before saying, “Thanks a lot for today. I enjoyed myself.”

“Even though you looked like you were suffering for the most part?”

“I’m _telling_ you, I regularly drink black coffee.”

“I’m sure you do, Nevs. I’m sure you do.” Before Neville had a chance to retort, Mustafa suddenly leaned in, placing a quick smooch on Neville’s cheek. “I’ll catch you later, ‘mkay?”

“’K…’Kay.” Neville blinked, watching as Mustafa walked towards his house before hurrying off in the direction of his own home.

Neville wasn’t sure when exactly the next date would be, but he knew that it couldn’t come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c


	6. Pikachu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow okay this week went by Fast, it's already time for a new chapter

“I was like a _fucking_ schoolgirl.”

Neville was pacing back and forth in the living room, the girls fast asleep in bed and Wade, bored and desperate for entertainment, sitting on the couch. “He kissed me on the cheek, and all I could say was ‘‘kay’. What am I, twelve?”

“Were you supposed to say something else?” Wade interrupted, putting his feet up on the coffee table for a moment before Neville abruptly shoved them off, much to his annoyance.

“I don’t know! In all my past relationships, _I’ve_ always been the one doing the cheek kissing. I’m not usually on the receiving end. It feels… different.”

“I personally think you’re making way too big a deal out of this. It was only a kiss on the cheek.”

“But it was the _first time_ he’s kissed me on the cheek! And I acted like a nervous kid.”

“If there was something weird about what you did, he wouldn’t have texted you asking about your next date a little while ago, would he?”

“Well, no…” Wade had a point -- it was almost immediately after dinner had concluded that Mustafa had sent him a text about when their next date would be. Likewise, it was almost immediately that Neville had responded that he was free the following weekend.

“So what are you so worried about? You’re freaking out over nothing. Everything will be fine.”

“I hope you’re right…”

“I _know_ I’m right.”

Neville sat down on the arm of the couch, staring down at his feet. “Thanks for listening to me vent about this stuff, by the way. I just… worry so much about relationships.”

Wade shifted over so that he was closer to Neville, looking up at him with a furrowed brow. “I don’t understand why. You’re two guys who are both clearly into each other. You’ve already made plans for your second date, and it hasn’t even been a day since you had your first one!”

“Yeah, but… I wonder if he’s only just doing this because he pities me.”

“And why would you say that?”

“Because when I accepted the date, I’d just finished telling him everything about my divorce. I can’t help but worry that he’s only going out with me to help me feel better, not because he actually likes me, y’know?”

Wade took in a deep breath through his nose, pursing his lips. “I can see why you’d be concerned, but Mustafa doesn’t seem like that kinda guy. He asked you out _before_ you told him everything, didn’t he? He had no reason to pity you then.”

“True, but what if he pities me _now_ ?” He bit at his thumbnail. “What if he wanted a casual relationship before, but now that I’ve told him the truth he’s mostly in it to help me feel better?” Neville unloaded all of his baggage onto Mustafa out of absolutely nowhere -- was it truly that far-fetched to think that Mustafa feels like he _has_ to be with him now?

“Has he even done anything to make you think that he pities you?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Nev, I love you, but you’re reaching.” Wade put a hand on his knee. “I get that you’re a bit wary, but you’re overthinking this. It was you guys’ first date today, you’re worn out and not thinking straight. See how your next date with him goes, and if you get the feeling that he’s pitying you for whatever reason, then talk to him about it. If you want this relationship to work, then you’re going to have to be able to speak with him when you need to.” Wade quirked his eyebrows up. “Huh, that was actually pretty good advice. I’m a dating expert.”

“You’re definitely something, alright…” Neville joked, but he knew that Wade once again had a point. It had been a long day -- he only felt this way because he was so tired. There was no reason for him to worry.

If there was anything that he _should_ be worried about, it was the fact that he still didn’t have any casual clothes to wear on their next date.

* * *

It was yet another busy Friday. Neville was sitting at the kitchen table, typing away and counting down the minutes until his shift ended. _Only one more hour to go…_ He told himself as he clicked the send button. _I can do anything for an hour_.

As he scrolled through the rest of the messages in his inbox, Jen walked into the room, wordlessly sitting down at the kitchen table. Neville didn’t turn to look at her right away, and when he did he noticed that she was looking at him with a narrowed gaze -- one that made him feel like he was in trouble. “Heya, kiddo,” he finally said. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“I have a question, Daddy,” she said simply, putting her hands together on the table. She looked serious, like a business owner at the head of the table at a meeting. More specifically, a business owner that looked like they were about to deliver some important news. Neville couldn’t help but get the feeling that he was about to be interrogated.

“What’s up?”

“Where were you last Saturday?” Jen was direct and to the point.

Neville’s eyes widened. “Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“Just curious.” She began to drum her fingers on the table. “I received some top secret info that you were doing something _secret_ that day. Something that you didn’t want me or Daisy to know about for some reason. I wanna know.”

“Well, what do you _think_ I was doing, hmm? Go on, take a guess.”

Jen suddenly went quiet, mouth forming into a line, like she didn’t expect to have the tables turned on her. “I, uh… I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you, after all!”

Neville couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fair point. Who even told you that I was up to something, anyway?”

“Daisy.”

“And where did she here that from?”

“I’ll never tell!” Daisy’s voice rang out from the hallway, and she poked her head in the room, her curls wild on her head. _I could have sworn I braided it for her earlier._ “It’s a _secret_ ,” she hissed before vanishing out into the hall again.

 _Wade. It was Wade._ “Okay, so let me ask this,” Neville started. “How do you know for sure that I wasn’t, say, buying some gifts for a certain girl I know that’s turning ten years old soon, hmm? Of course I’m not going to tell you that.”

Daisy suddenly came running into the room. Her hands were behind her back. “I know!” She yelled. “I really do!”

“Do you? Go ahead then, girlie. Let’s see your proof.”

“It’s this!” Daisy put her right hand out in front of her and showed Neville what she had been hiding -- a little white coffee mug keychain.

“What’s that have to do with anything?” Neville asked, blinking down at the trinket.

“Wade gave it to me. He says he found it in the mailbox and wanted me to give it to you. _And_ there’s a note to go with it!” She showed Neville what was in her left hand -- a crumpled up sticky note. Somewhat hesitantly, Neville took the note from her, smoothing it out on the table.

**Saw this in the store and thought of you. Maybe I should look for a milk one to go with it. ;) -Moose**

_Son of a bitch_.

Jen was reading the note as well, her jaw on the floor. “You had this the whole time?!” She asked Daisy, furiously, jumping out of her seat. Daisy, on the other hand, looked smug, like she expected this reaction. “That’s cheating! Daddy, Daisy’s cheating!”

“I didn’t cheat!”

“Yes you did! You made a bet you knew you couldn’t lose!”

“You two actually made a bet over what I was doing last weekend?” Neville interrupted their little argument. What in the world went on in that house when he wasn’t around?

“Daisy said that you and Mr. Moose were hanging out together. She knew she couldn’t be wrong…” Jen continued to grumble angrily to herself as she dug around in her pocket, pulling out a lollipop -- green apple, one of her favorites -- and giving it to her sister.

“I’m starting to think you girls are hanging out with Wade too often… But fine, you win. I’ll tell you exactly what I was doing last weekend.”

“Tell me! Tell me!”

“Tell _me_!” Daisy forced her way in front of Jen, the latter now looking irritated again.

“I asked first!”

“How about I tell _both_ of you?” Neville suggested. “The truth is, I was with Mr. Moose-- er, Mustafa. We hung out together.”

“What’d you guys do?” Jen asked as she sat back down, looking more attentive now than she probably ever was during class.

“Just went out to get coffee and talk. Nothing crazy. We’re planning to meet up again this weekend.”

“Are you gonna get married?” Daisy asked, eyes wide.

“Hey, let’s slow down a little, yeah?” Neville said, laughing a little nervously. “We’ve only gone out once, Daze. People don’t typically get married after one date.”

“Don’t they?” She seemed genuinely confused.

“That’s not what Wade told her.” Jen shrugged.

Neville rubbed his temples, shaking his head. Of _course_ he planted that idea in her mind. “...Remind me to have a word with him later.”

* * *

Mustafa had offhandedly mentioned during their first date that he would take Neville out to buy some more casual clothes. Little did Neville realize that that was exactly what he had planned for their next date.

Neville felt a little out of his element standing in a clothing outlet in the mall -- it had been far too long since he’d gone clothes shopping. He’d been wearing more-or-less the same things for years, working taking up most of his time and making it difficult for him to go out and buy new things. Though he now not only had the chance, but he also had Mustafa with him, he still wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

“You realize that you’re the only person that can get me to the mall on a weekend, don’t you? I would have said no to anyone else,” he pointed out, grimacing as another overplayed song started to play over the store’s speakers.

Mustafa was looking at some of the shirts on one of the racks, and he looked to Neville and smiled, looking oddly proud of himself. “I can be very persuasive when I need to be, Nev.” He crossed his arms. “So, anything catching your eye?”

“Not really,” Neville admitted, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Well, what kinda stuff are you interested in? Besides polos and button-down shirts.”

“Those kinds of shirts are the only ones I’ve known for the last decade. I’m not sure how good I would look in anything else.”  
“I’m sure you’d look great! You just gotta give it a try. Take a look around and see if you can find anything.”

“Alright…” Neville wandered away from Mustafa to look at some of the other racks, frowning at everything he saw. _Do people actually wear this stuff?_ Neville thought as he looked at a sweatshirt. _This could work…_ He looked at the tag to check the price. _Never mind._ “Moose, my wallet is begging for mercy and I haven’t even chosen anything yet.”

“Don’t give up yet!”

Neville eventually found himself in the men’s graphic t-shirt section, and he stopped. _Isn’t this the kinda stuff Jen’s been wearing lately?_ He picked up a shirt with Pikachu on it, checking to see that it was Jen’s size. She had recently begun showing a disinterest in the tees that were offered in the girls’ section and had opted for what could be found in the boys’, which Neville couldn’t exactly fault her for. The less brightly colored shirts with overrated boy bands on them that he had to wash, the better.

“...Y’know, Nev, I know you’re on the smaller side, but I think that _might_ be a little bit too small on you.” Mustafa’s voice sounded close, and Neville realized that he was now behind him, looking at the shirt from over his shoulder. He was holding some more shirts, presumably for himself.

“Ha ha.” Neville rolled his eyes. “This isn’t for me. It’s for Jen.”

“I figured.”

“Her birthday’s coming up in a few months. I’ve been thinking about what I should get her. She’s into this kinda stuff, so this is an option.”

“Ah, she’s reached the age where she gets clothes as a birthday gift, huh?” Mustafa clicked his tongue. “Poor girl.”

“She’s not there quite yet, trust me. She’s been dropping not-so subtle hints about toys she wants.” Neville involuntarily shuddered at the thought of the sheer length of her Christmas list. “I’m a softie, though. Can’t say no to her.”

“That’s so cute! I love your relationship with her so much. And Daisy, too.”

“They’re good girls. They fight a lot, but they’re good.”

“All siblings fight. Especially when they’re close in age like your girls are.” Mustafa shrugged.

“You’ve got a point.” It was right as Neville was about to put the shirt back that he caught Mustafa giving him a strange look. “...What?”

“I was just thinking…” He looked through the rest of the Pikachu shirts until he found one in a larger size. He held it up in front of Neville’s torso, pursing his lips. “Hm…”

“Oh, God, don’t tell me…”

“This is just my opinion, _but_ … I think you’d look pretty good in this…”

“Mustafa, with all due respect, you know I’m a thirty-one year old man, right?”

“Of course I do! There’s no age limit on this kinda stuff. Hell, I’ve seen some fathers who are older than you who pick their kids up wearing graphic tees like this. Come on, you’d look great!”

“Where am I even going to wear this to?”

“Uh, on a date?” Mustafa said this as if it were the most obvious thing ever. “So long as we’re not going any place fancy, I can’t see why you can’t wear this when we’re together. Can you at least give it a try?” He stuck out his lower lip. “For me?”

“I…” Neville huffed. He knew there was no point in arguing. Not when Mustafa was making _that_ face. “Fine. I’ll try it on.”

“Great!” Mustafa looked overjoyed. He grabbed Neville by the arm, dragging him towards the changing room.

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this…” Neville sighed.

“Because you wanna make me happy.” Mustafa ushered him towards an empty dressing room. “Show me when you’re done!”

“Yeah, yeah…” Neville grumbled as he locked the door, leaning back against it and staring at himself in the dressing room mirror. Now that Mustafa figured out that he was a softie, Lord only knows what he’s going to convince him to do next…

Not wanting to delay the process any further, Neville took off his shirt, looking over the one he was about to try on for a moment with a look of shame before slipping it over his head. He frowned as he looked himself over in the mirror. He _supposed_ it looked alright, but it was admittedly a little tight around the chest. _If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he chose this size on purpose._ He joked to himself.

 _...He_ **_didn’t_ ** _choose this size on purpose, did he?_ The more that he thought it over, the more likely it seemed. There were definitely some larger sizes available, yet Mustafa just so happened to choose a size that showed off Neville’s body. _It’s a coincidence, isn’t it?_ Neville tried to convince himself, nipping his lower lip. This was only their second date. There’s no way Mustafa would pull a stunt like this this early on in their relationship, right?

“Nev?” Mustafa’s voice and a knock on the door snapped him back to reality. “You pass out or something in there? ‘S the shirt that bad?”

Neville quickly shook his head, getting those thoughts out of his head. _You’re overthinking this…_ He told himself as he opened the door, spreading his arms and showing off the shirt. “Here,” he said. “You happy now?”

Mustafa wore a big smile, his expression almost childlike. “I love this! You look fantastic.”

“I do _not_. You’re lying through your teeth.”

“No I’m not! I’m being sincere. You look really good.”

“Hm…” Neville looked down towards the floor, those compliments making him feel far too happy. “Can I get out of it now?”

“Sure. I already saw everything I needed to see.” He winked.

 _This son of a bitch._ Neville quickly retreated back into the changing room, putting his original shirt back on and carrying the other one out of the room with him. “So, how else are you going to torture me on this trip?”

“Hmm…” Mustafa thought it over. “Well, if memory serves there’s a whole other section of graphic tees we haven’t had a chance to look at yet…”

“Don’t you have some clothes of your own that you’d like to try on first?”

“Stop trying to stall!” He grabbed Neville by the arm again. “We can do that later. For now, it’s time for you to suffer again!”

“Oh, boy…” Neville complained, though he allowed himself to be pulled along. _Just pick something out in my size this time…_


	7. Interrogation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't think of anything to say here, uhhhh... I Wuv Nev

The first month of Neville and Mustafa’s relationship went by quickly. They maintained their usual routine, going about their work and family-related business during the week and finding time to hang out (or, at the very least, talk on the phone) during the weekend. To Neville, it seemed like only yesterday that Mustafa first moved into the neighborhood and they became acquainted with one another.  _ Time really does fly _ , he mused whenever he thought about it.

Neville wanted to do something different for their next date, however. Up until that point, it had been the two of them going out someplace to eat or shop. This wasn’t a bad thing, but he felt that it was time to do something new, and this was exactly what he told Mustafa the next time they had a chance to talk.

“I was thinking that maybe you can come over to my house for dinner,” Neville told Mustafa over the phone as he walked across the parking lot to his car, just having finished yet another long day of work. “On Saturday. Would that be okay?”

“Sounds good to me,” Mustafa replied.

“Good.” Neville sat down in the driver’s seat and shut the door, tapping his fingers in the steering wheel. “Wasn’t sure if you’d be up for it or not.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”  
“I thought you might say that it’s too soon for you to be meeting my family.”

“Come on, Nev.” Neville didn’t have to see Mustafa’s face to know that he was rolling his eyes. “You know I don’t have a problem with hanging out with the girls.”

“It’s not just them. It’ll be Wade, too. Y’know, the guy that is hellbent on interrupting every single moment we have together? I love him to death, but he can be a bit of a handful at times…”

“I’m pretty sure I can handle him. Today I had to break up a damn  _ war _ between a group of six year olds.” Mustafa chuckled. “Dealing with Wade will be child's play compared to that.”

“You don’t know Wade like I know him,” Neville sighed, but he smiled. “But hey, if you think you’ll be fine, then alright. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though, Moose.”

* * *

Neville knew that in order for this dinner date to go smoothly, he needed to take measures so as to avoid any possible issues.

More specifically, he had to make sure Wade knew to not act like a complete nuisance (and to not convince the Jen and Daisy to go along with whatever scheme he came up with).

“I assume you all know why I’ve called you here,” Neville began, slowly pacing back and forth in front of the couch. Seated on that couch were a confused Jen and Daisy as well as an incredibly bored-looking Wade. “I have an important announcement to make.”

“Moose is moving in with us?” Jen suggested.

“You’re finally getting married?!” Daisy asked, beaming.

“You’re pregnant?” Wade shrugged.

“No, no, and  _ no _ ,” Neville replied. “But it  _ is _ Mustafa related. Tonight, as I’m sure you’re all aware, is Saturday night. Not just any Saturday night, though -- it’s the night where Mustafa comes over for dinner.”

Wade put on a look of mock surprise. “Is he? Really? This is the first time  _ I’m _ hearing about this. It’s not like you’ve been talking about that all week or anything.”

“I’ve been talking about it all week because you keep  _ asking me _ about it,  _ Wade _ .” Neville put on his best fake smile.

“So what are we having tonight?” Jen asked as she put her feet up on the coffee table. (“Oh, so it’s okay when  _ she _ does it…” Wade complained.)

“I’m thinking we’ll probably order pizza, just to keep it simple.”

“Also because you can’t cook to save your life!”

“Wade, if you keep this up, I’m locking you in the basement.”

“You say this as if you haven’t trapped me in your basement ever since I moved in! I’ve spent close to 10 years down there!”

Daisy looked back and forth between the two of them before finally settling on Neville. “Daddy, have you and Wade known each other for that long?” She asked.

“Longer,” Neville said, shaking his head slowly. “Unfortunately.”

“Wow! You’re old!”

Silence. Neville sighed, and he clapped his hands together. “Okay, back on topic, please. You know I love all three of you dearly, but I need you all to be on your best behavior tonight. Not that any of you are ever bad--”

“Not even me?” Wade asked.

Neville rolled his eyes. “There doesn’t exist a word in the English language that describes your particular kind of annoying, Wade,” he said.

“I’m sure if you search hard enough you’ll find one.”

“As I was saying, you’re all lovely, and I need you to be your usual lovely selves tonight when we have company. This means I don’t wanna see any fighting from you, girls. And I also don’t want any rude jokes.” He shot a glare at Wade as he said this. “Alright?”

“Okay!” Daisy and Jen both affirmed, while Wade gave a half-hearted shrug and an, “I  _ guess _ …,” which was easily more of a response than Neville thought he would get from him. Despite this, the question still remained: Would Wade actually take Neville’s request to heart?

* * *

No. No, he would not.

“So, what makes you think you’re good enough to be dating my little Neville, huh?” Wade asked, eyes narrowed at Mustafa, who had been interrupted right as he was about to take a bite out of his pizza.

He slowly put his slice down, looking to Neville (whose red, burning face was on the table) for a moment, and cleared his throat. “Uh…” He said with a little chuckle. “Well, I like to think I’m a pretty good person.”

“You  _ think _ you’re a good person. But are you actually one?” Wade took a sip of his water, staring him down from over the rim of the glass. “There’s a big difference between  _ thinking _ and  _ knowing _ , you know…”

“Wade…” Neville’s muffled voice could be heard. “Cut it out. Please.”

“I’m asking important questions here, Nev! Can’t blame me for wanting the best for you,” he said with a little smirk. “Tell me, Mustafa -- if that even  _ is _ your real name--”

“It is.”

“--what’s your life like? You got a job?”

“Yes, I’m a teacher. First grade.”

“You got a good home?”

“Well, you live right next door to it.” Mustafa shrugged. “You can just look out the window and see for yourself.”

Wade’s mouth formed into a line. He nodded. “...Okay, fair point.”

“Yep, he’s right.” Neville’s voice came again. “Let’s leave it at that please--”

“Can I ask a question?” Daisy, after having been watching this whole scene in silence, suddenly asked in a sweet voice that sent shivers down Neville’s spine. He was all too familiar with that tone of voice -- it meant she was about to ask something she wasn’t supposed to.

“Go right ahead!” Before Neville could object, Wade had already given her permission to speak, as if he were waiting for her.  _ This  _ **_bastard_ ** _. _

The next sound they all heard was the sound of Daisy’s hands smacking the table, surprising Neville and making his head shoot up. “When are you getting married?!”

Neville’s face grew bright red due to the embarrassment of the question, the giggles from Jen and Wade, and the shocked look on Mustafa’s face. “Lord help me…” He groaned as he put his head back down.

“Well…” Mustafa scratched the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly. “We’ve only been together for about a month…”

“And?” Daisy still looked confused.

“Life isn’t like a Disney movie, Daze,” Neville said, propping his head up on his elbows. (“No elbows on the table, Daddy!” Jen quipped, much to Neville’s humiliation.) “People don’t normally get married immediately after meeting each other.”

“Why?”

“Because they need to get to know each other first.”

“Why?”

“So that they know they want to marry them.”

“Why?”

Neville shut his eyes and took in a deep breath through his nose, slowly letting it out through his mouth and opening his eyes again. He knew he was going to lose this argument. “...Just eat your pizza, kid.”

* * *

Neville dried his hands with a towel, having just finished with the dishes. Mustafa and the others had gone into the living room to “talk” -- or, as Neville liked to call it, “continue the interrogation”. He knew that it was probably a bad idea to leave Mustafa alone with them, but he was in charge of the dinner cleanup (and Wade had dragged Mustafa out of the room before Neville had a chance to intervene).

Now, however, Neville was finished, which meant he could join them. He walked out of the kitchen and entered the living room. He spotted Mustafa sitting on the couch, and he sat down on the arm of it, prompting Mustafa to look over and smile at him. “What’d I miss?” He asked.

“Not much, actually,” Mustafa replied. “I’ve just been sitting here watching them trying to get the DVD player working.”

“Why do we even still _have_ this?” Wade asked, crouched down by it. Daisy and Jen were on either side of him. “Haven’t we upgraded to Netflix yet?”  
“Uh, we have,” Neville replied, frowning. “ _You’re_ the one who’s living in the past.”

“The basement doesn’t have those types of luxuries…” Wade complained. “Well, I already went through all this trouble to set this damn thing up, we may as well use it-- Jen, no, don’t give me that look. ‘Damn’ is  _ not _ a swear.”

“Wait, wait,” Neville interrupted. “I’m lost here. Why are you setting it up in the first place?”

“Family movie night, duh!” Wade said it as if it were the most obvious thing ever.

Neville tensed up. “What?”

“Wade told me about how you guys always do a movie night on Saturdays,” Mustafa said. “It’s a family bonding activity.”

“Yeah, Nev. Don’t tell me you  _ forgot _ ...” Wade was wearing a shit-eating grin on his face.

There were many things that Neville wanted to say to Wade at that moment, but he knew that this wasn’t the right place to do it. “...Wade, can I speak with you for a minute? Out in the hallway.” He asked with a big (forced) smile. 

“Why, certainly, my friend! Lead the way.” Wade got to his feet, doing finger guns at Mustafa before following Neville out of the room.

It was once they were out of sight that Neville’s expression turned to one of confusion and annoyance. “Family movie night?!” He hissed, keeping his voice down.

“Isn’t it great?!” Wade replied, clearly ecstatic and proud of what he’d done. “I thought of it at the last second. This is gonna be awesome.”

“How is it gonna be awesome? God, I didn’t plan this far ahead…” Neville ran his hands through his hair. “Mustafa was supposed to leave not too long after dinner, not stick around for a damn movie!”  
“You want him to leave _this early_? Come on, Nev, it’s only seven! You can’t kick him out this soon. Don’t you want to spend more time with him?”

“I mean, I  _ do _ , but…” Neville was the type of person to always stick to a routine-- this sudden development went against that night’s plan. “I wasn’t expecting this. I wasn’t expecting you to do  _ anything _ that you’ve done tonight.”

“How can you say that? You should know that the moment you tell me not to do something, I’m already planning out how I’m gonna do it.”

“I’m gonna get you back for this one of these days…” Neville shook his head, sighing. “Okay, fine. I’ll go along with this under two conditions: first, you’re in charge of getting the snacks together. And second, I am  _ not _ watching Frozen again. I’ll never get those damn songs out of my head.”

“The first part is easy, the second one…” Wade made a vague hand gesture. “Well, you’ll have to have that conversation with your daughters.”

“I can do that. Easily.” Neville turned and started to walk back to the living room, taking one last glance at Wade over his shoulder. “I’m a persuasive person, Wade.”

* * *

“I swear, I hear Elsa in my nightmares,” Neville complained as he walked Mustafa back to his house, causing Mustafa to chuckle. “You laugh, but I’m being serious. I must have seen that movie close to a hundred times.”

“My poor, poor Nev,” he replied, putting an arm around him and giving Neville a pat on the shoulder. “It’s not easy being you, is it?”

“It really isn’t.” The two of them reached Mustafa’s porch, and Neville sighed, rubbing at his temples. Mustafa was about to say something, but Neville interrupted him, saying, “I… am  _ so  _ sorry.”

Mustafa looked at him, brow furrowed. “What are you sorry for?

“For how everyone acted tonight. Daisy kept asking weird questions, Jen kept making comments, Wade was being… himself--”

“Neville, you don’t have to apologize at all. I loved it!”

“You-- You  _ loved _ it?” He was shocked.

“Of course! If I were ever uncomfortable, I would have left, believe me. You have such a cute family.”

“But Wade literally interrogated you like some overprotective father! You didn’t think that was weird at all?”

“I mean…” He shrugged. “It was unexpected, yeah, but it wasn’t bad or anything. I knew he was only teasing you and trying to make the girls laugh. If anything, that made me wanna stay even more.”

“And Daisy’s repeated performances of ‘Let It Go’ didn’t bother you?”

“Neville, I teach first graders. You think I don’t hear that song all day anyway? I’m used to it.”

“I… damn.” Neville was impressed. “I was so sure you were gonna hate me after this.”

“What? No, never! I can’t hate you.” He ruffled up Neville’s hair. “I really did enjoy myself tonight, Nev. Don’t worry.”

“Good.” Neville breathed a sigh of relief, and before he knew it he felt Mustafa’s lips on his cheek and his face go hot. He made a mental note to start getting used to that kind of thing.

“Thanks again for dinner. I’ll text you tomorrow, alright?”

“Alright.”

With that, they went their separate ways, Neville returning back to his own house. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Wade waiting for him in the hallway, bouncing on his heels. “Dear God, what  _ now _ ?”

“Oh, you’re back,” he replied with a coy smile. “I was so sure you’d end up staying at his house for ‘dessert’.”

Neville sighed for what had to be the millionth time that day. “The moment you get a boyfriend, I’m going to bug the shit out of you about it. Mark my words.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week's chapter will officially mark the halfway point for this fic?? Damn that went by fast dfkjgd


	8. Cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> halfway there!! have some Oddly Sensual Baking to celebrate

If the constant reminders, not-so-subtle hints about the toys she wanted, and the literal countdown written in letter magnets on the refrigerator were any indication, tomorrow was Jen’s tenth birthday.

“Can you _please_ just tell me what you got me?” Jen was standing behind Neville as he put his laundry away, her hands clasped together as if she were praying. “ _Pleeeeeease_? Gimme a hint!”

“Jen, your birthday is tomorrow,” Neville replied, grabbing another shirt out from the laundry basket and folding it. “Can’t you just wait until then to see what you’re gonna get?”

“But it’s so far away!”

“Twenty-four hours.”

“Yes, twenty-four _whole hours_! That’s so many!”

“As you enter the double digits, I hope you learn about patience.” Neville teased as he shut the dresser drawer.

“Y’know, tomorrow isn’t _just_ my birthday -- it’s my _tenth_ birthday!” Jen continued. “The big one zero! Double digits! I may as well be an adult! You need to start treating me like one.”

Neville snorted. “If you’re an adult, can you start chipping in with the bills?”

Her expression dropped. “Ew, no!”

“That’s what I thought.” He turned to face her, grinning. “Oh, did you have lunch yet?” She shook her head. “I can make you something real quick before I go out. Come on, let’s go downstairs.”

Jen looked like she wanted to protest further, but she obliged, following Neville out of the bedroom. “So, where’re you goin’, Daddy? Out on another secret date?”

“It’s a secret, yes, but it’s not a date. Well, _technically_ it’s not…”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s related to your birthday, so I can’t tell you. Don’t wanna spoil any surprises.”

She rolled her eyes. “But I’ve been asking about my birthday all _day_! I don’t care about spoilers!”

“‘I don’t care about spoilers,’ says the girl who freaks out whenever she can’t watch one of her shows and Daisy tries to tell her about what happened.”

“You know what I mean!”

Neville stopped right as they were about to go down the stairs, lips pursed. “Okay, you wanna know? I’ll tell you.”

Jen rubbed her hands together in anticipation as Neville crouched down to her level, cupping his hands around her ear. “What I’m doing later is…”

“Yes…?”

He smirked. “A _secret_.”

* * *

For the most part, everything relating to the party was all set. The invitations were sent out weeks ago, and a decent amount of RSVPs had been received in return (much to the slight chagrin of Neville, who knew he was going to have a sizable mess to clean up afterwards). Some of the toys that she had asked for (the rest to be purchased for Christmas) were wrapped and hidden in the basement, which was the last place she would go to look for them.

There was only one thing left to take care of, which was the cake. Neville initially planned on purchasing an ice cream cake, which was a favorite among everyone in the house, but this idea was shot down by the birthday girl almost immediately. She wanted something more “special” than store-bought cake. (“You only have _one_ tenth birthday, y’know?”) This also meant that a basic cake made from mix from a box was out of the equation.

This left Neville with only one option: he was going to have to make it himself from scratch.

Which meant he was going to have to (without Jen noticing) seek help from someone who actually knew how to properly bake sweets.

“So, whatcha got planned, Nevs?” Mustafa asked, holding two coffee mugs and placing them down on the kitchen table. Neville took one of them, tapping his fingers against the side of the cup, and shrugged.

“I’m thinking of going with this vanilla cake,” he said, taking a sip. “I found this recipe, but I’m not sure if it’s good enough. I feel like it’s too simple.”

“Seeing as you’re not used to baking, I’d say the simpler the better. We can’t have you burning down my house. I still have to live in it, you know.” He blinked over the rim of his mug at Neville.

“Do you? Gee, I didn’t know.” Neville winked. “Hey, do you think Wade’s caught on to where I am yet?”

“You didn’t tell him?”

“Nah.” Neville told him that he had some ‘important business’ to take care of, and though he could tell that Wade didn’t totally believe him, he didn’t ask any more questions. He recalled Wade’s comment from not too long ago about having ‘dessert’ with Mustafa. _In a way, he’s right this time._

Mustafa interrupted his train of thought. “Well, I’m sure he hasn’t figured it out yet. He’s probably too busy coming up with future interrogation questions for me.”

“Oh God, I forgot all about that…” Neville put his face in his hands. “Are you sure that didn’t bother you?”

“No! How many times do I gotta tell you it didn’t?” Mustafa gave him a gentle nudge with his foot. “Please believe me.”

“If you say so…”

Mustafa drummed his fingers on the table. “I gotta say, I’m impressed that you’re making Jen’s cake from scratch. All my cakes growing up were either from the box or pre-made.”

“That’s probably what I _should_ do, but seeing as it’s the ‘big one zero’, as she keeps calling it, I wanna do something special. Jen’ll get mad at me for taking the easy way out.”

“Do you think she’ll even notice?”  
  
“Trust me, Mustafa, _she’ll notice_.”

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it.” Mustafa raised one of his hands defensively. “So, you brought all the stuff you’ll need, right?”

“Pretty sure I did. And here,” Neville pulled his phone out, unlocking it and sliding it over to Mustafa. “This is the recipe.”

Mustafa took the device from him and looked over what was on the screen, eyebrows raising every now and then. “Wow, this is basic.”

“Don’t rub it in.”

“I’m saying that because it’s literally called ‘Basic Vanilla Cake’, Nev,” Mustafa handed the phone back to Neville, who quickly shoved it back into his pocket, pouting.

“...I knew that.”

* * *

On that day, Neville learned that he and flour didn’t exactly get along.

“How is anyone supposed to mix this stuff without getting it all over the place?” He grumbled, wincing as he once again accidentally spilled some flour on himself. That was at least the third time -- his shirt was a mess.

“Um, by doing it slowly?” Mustafa suggested, having just finished mixing together some of the other ingredients. “You’re going so fast, you gotta chill.”

“I do not need to ‘chill’.” Neville made air quotes around the word. “I’m perfectly ‘chill’.”

“Your Pikachu shirt says otherwise.”

“Whatever…” Neville went back to mixing, yet again getting some on himself. “ _God_ …”

“You weren’t joking when you said you were awful at cooking,” Mustafa teased. “Here, let me help.”

“I don’t need--” Neville had expected Mustafa to push him aside, completely take over, but to his surprise Mustafa approached him from behind, putting his hands over Neville’s and helping him to mix slower. Neville knew he was blushing like mad -- all he could do was hope that Mustafa didn’t make a comment about it.

“See how much better that is?” Mustafa said, though Neville barely even registered it, seeing as he was too busy thinking about how warm and soft Mustafa’s hands were. “And look, it’s less of a mess.”

_The only ‘mess’ here is me._ “I-I guess.” Neville cleared his throat. He added, quickly, “How much longer do we have to do this again?”

“I think that’s good enough. Just mix it in with my stuff -- slowly, though.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Neville could feel that Mustafa was eyeing him up as he dumped the contents of his bowl into Mustafa’s, and to his credit he took Mustafa’s advice, though now he was stirring impossibly slow.

Mustafa clicked his tongue at this. “Neville, really?” As he started to approach him from behind again, Neville suddenly turned around, throwing some of the flour that he’d stealthily saved onto him.

“Hah!” Neville said, triumphantly. “Now who’s the messy one?”

Mustafa raised his hand, slowly wiping some of the flour off of his cheek and looking down at the powdery mess on his fingers. Neville decided that he wasn’t done catching him off guard, and before he knew what he was doing he gave him a swift kiss on the cheek, wiping the flour off of his lips afterwards.

“Bold,” Mustafa quipped, hands on his hips and a small smile on his face. “You’re just full of surprises today, aren’t you?”

“You never know what I’m gonna do next, Moose.” Neville appeared confident, though in truth even _he_ was stunned by what he did.

“Hm.” He quirked up his eyebrows. “In that case, you’d better watch out. Never know when I’m gonna getcha back.”

“We’ll see about that.”

* * *

Neville slid the filled cake pan into the oven, shutting the door and checking the recipe on his phone. “Okay, so it says it needs to be in there for thirty minutes.”

“It took us over an hour just to get the batter ready,” Mustafa replied, his chin resting on Neville’s shoulder as he read along. “Thirty minutes is nothing.”

“I guess.” Neville shut the screen off, leaning his head against Mustafa’s. “That still seems like so long, though. What are we supposed to do to pass the time?”

“I’m sure we can find something to do,” Mustafa murmured, pressing a few kisses to Neville’s cheek, his arms wrapping around his waist.

“Like?”

“...Each other?”

Neville chuckled. “Moose, really?”

“What? I mean, it’s just us. No one around to interrupt us. Nothing to worry about…”

“...Except for the cake that could very well burn because we’re too busy having sex,” Neville put his hands over Mustafa’s. “I’m not about to risk facing Jen’s wrath because you’re horny, Moose. You’d be boyfriendless.”

“She’s that scary?” Mustafa shuddered. “Oof.”

“You think it’s scary just hearing about it, try living with her.”

Mustafa backed away from Neville and went over to the bag that he had brought the ingredients in, digging around inside. “What kind of frosting did you bring?”

“Chocolate,” Neville replied as he leaned back against the counter. He smiled softly as he watched Mustafa’s face light up once he pulled the frosting out of the bag.

“Man, I’m jealous of her. Wish it was _my_ cake.” He pouted.

“When’s your birthday? I’ll make you your own.”

“Not until March, so we’ve still got a ways to go…” He sighed dramatically before putting down the tub of frosting.

“I see… Well, technically there’s no law that says that I can’t make you a cake just for the hell of it. There doesn’t _have_ to be a special occasion.”

“You make a good point.” Mustafa smiled, moving over to Neville.  He gave him a kiss on the forehead. “But for real, you’d better save me a slice of this cake.”

“I’ll have to fight a bunch of children, but I’ll do it.”

* * *

Whenever there had been any baking in his house before that day, Neville was always hesitant about letting the girls eat the frosting straight from the container once they were done with it -- half because it almost always started a fight, and half because there was no _way_ it was healthy.

Now that Neville had the opportunity to do it himself, however, it was an entirely different story.

“I am in no way ready to deal with a bunch of screaming children tomorrow,” Neville complained, licking some of the frosting off of the little plastic spatula.

“You get used to it after awhile. I know I did,” Mustafa replied. “How many are coming?”

Neville pursed his lips, slowly sucking on the spatula as he thought. “Around ten, I think? I’ll have to check when I get home.” He scooped up more of the frosting. “Too many, that’s for sure. I didn’t know Jen had this many friends.”

“Little Miss Popularity.” Mustafa was now eying up the tub. Neville took note of his ogling, and he raised an eyebrow at him.

“You can have some, if you want. I don’t have cooties.”

“I just might take you up on that offer…” Mustafa stuck his finger inside and scooped some of the frosting on it, making like he was going to eat it before he suddenly smeared it all over Neville’s cheek. “Oh, whoops!”

“Hey-- What was that for?!” Neville protested and tried to wipe it off, though Mustafa grabbed his wrist before he had a chance to.

“Sorry, my hand slipped!” Mustafa’s other hand was back in the frosting, and before Neville knew it even more of it was wiped onto his face.

“Why do you keep doing that?” Neville tried to use his free hand to clean himself up, though Mustafa took hold of that one too, placing both hands at his side. “ _Mooooose_ …”

“Oh, quit complaining. I’ll clean you up.”

“You can’t clean me up without using your hands--” Neville was interrupted by Mustafa leaning in and giving his cheek a slow lick, and he froze, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. His gaze followed Mustafa as he pulled away, tongue running over his lips.

“There we go. Was that so bad?” He shrugged. He leaned in again, speaking in a low voice. “I told you I’d get you back.”

Neville was sputtering, his mind moving quicker than his lips could. How was he even supposed to respond to that? “You-- I--”

Mustafa reached for a paper towel, wetting it and handing it over to Neville. “Here. The other way’ll take too long.” He blinked innocently at him. “I mean, unless you _want_ me to keep licking…”

Though every part of Neville wanted to let him continue, he ultimately settled on, “N-No, no, it’s fine. You’re right, it’s quicker. You know how I’m all about saving time.”

“Are you? I didn’t know that.”

“I am,” Neville replied quickly, hiding his face in the towel as he cleaned himself up. In terms of screwing with each other, they were both even, the score 1-1. Neville wasn’t sure where or when, but he was going to regain the lead. _How am I going to top_ **_licking_ ** _, though?_


	9. Elf on the Shelf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who cares if it's august -- it's time for Holiday Shenanigans

“Okay, what the _fuck_ is this?”

Neville looked up from his phone and blinked at Wade, who was digging around in a box of Christmas decorations that was sitting on the living room floor. “What?”

“This!” Wade pulled out a little elf doll. “When did you get this?”

“Oh shit, I completely forgot I had that.” Neville laughed. Now that he thought about it, Neville had forgotten a lot of things about past Christmases. After awhile, they all seemed to blur together. _This year’s will probably be the same_. “Don’t you know Elf on the Shelf?”

“I always assumed that was what you liked to call yourself sometimes.”

Neville frowned. “Very funny. I bought it when the girls were little. Haven’t done anything with it for a few years, though.”

“I didn’t think you actually owned one of these freaks.”

“Don’t call him that! What’d he ever do to you?”

“Look at him!” Wade looked almost offended as he looked into the eyes of the doll. “His entire existence is a crime. Please don’t tell me that you’re thinking of using him again.”

“I wasn’t going to, but now that you mention it…” Neville stroked his chin. “I think I’ll start hiding him around your apartment.”

“Do that and I’ll tell Daisy about where you hid all the presents.”

Neville narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I _would_.”

“Next Christmas, I’m hiding the gifts in Mustafa’s house.” Neville looked back down to his phone. “Speaking of Mustafa, I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately.”

Wade snorted, having tossed the elf over his shoulder and gone back to looking for decorations. “You’ve been thinking of your boyfriend? What a revolutionary concept.” He pulled out some string lights, starting to untangle two pairs that had somehow managed to get mixed up together. “What about him, though?”

“I was wondering if I should invite him over for Christmas Eve.”

Wade shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

“Thing is, he told me he doesn’t celebrate. I don’t know how he’d feel about being asked to come over for a holiday he isn’t really involved in.”

“Ohh, I get it.” Wade pursed his lips. “Well, there’s nothing really wrong with asking him to just come hang out, is there? It’s not like we’re asking him to do anything he doesn’t want to do -- it’ll be like any other time you’ve invited him over. Except I’ll be wearing an embarrassing holiday sweater.”

Neville groaned. “Oh God, _please_ don’t wear it.”

“Why not?”

“It’s horrible!”

“But you were the one that bought it for me!”

“As a _joke_!”

Wade tossed the lights down in frustration. “Okay, how about this: if I can get these untangled, do I have permission to wear it?”

Neville chewed on his cheek. “Maybe. But you _have_ to untangle them first.”

* * *

Neville knew that, when at work, he _probably_ shouldn’t be taking any unrelated phone calls. Not even during his break. What if there was something important that he needed to know, and he found out too late because he was busy goofing off? The last thing he needed was to get in trouble with his boss or whoever else he might accidentally piss off.

...If it meant getting to talk to Mustafa for a few minutes, however, Neville was willing to make a little exception to that rule.

“When’s your last day?” Neville asked as he dug around inside of his desk drawer, looking for one of the snacks he kept in there. “Before break, I mean.”

“Friday.” Mustafa’s voice came from the other end of the receiver, sounding tired. It was the halfway point of the day, and yet he was already exhausted. Not that Neville was in any position to judge -- he was more or less the exact same way.

“Same as the girls, then. That makes sense.” Neville finally found the bag of Skittles he was looking for, and he opened it, propping the phone between his shoulder and his ear. “Your students driving you nuts this week?”

“Oh yeah. They’re excited, though, so I get why.” Mustafa sighed. “Still, Friday can’t come soon enough…”

“Only two more days. It’s nice that you’ve got the next week off, though. You’ve earned it.”

“That’s like the one thing that’s keepin’ me going this week. Looking forward to getting some decent sleep for once. What about you? Did you take any time off?”

“I took the day after Christmas, but that’s it. Can’t stay out for _too_ long.” Neville popped some of the candy into his mouth, trying his hardest not to think of all the higher-up executives who were taking the entire damn week off.

“Aww, that sucks. I was kinda hoping I’d be able to see you over break.”

Neville swallowed and took a second to think over what he was going to say. “Well, I mean… Technically you _can_ still see me.”

“Oh?”

“I know you said you don’t celebrate Christmas, so I’m not inviting you over the day of. But what about Christmas Eve? We’re not doing anything except sitting around and staring at each other — it’s like any other day in the Neville household. You can have dinner with us again.”

“Hmm…” Mustafa pondered, his end of the line going silent for a moment. “That could be arranged. I wanna change one thing, though.”

“What’s that?”  
“ _You guys_ should come over to _my_ house.”

Neville blinked. “Come again?”

“Come to my place and have dinner with me.”

“You serious?”

“Yeah! I went to your house last time. Lemme cook for you guys. It’s only fair.”

Neville ate another Skittle, chewing slowly. “Are you _sure_ this is the best idea?”  
“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I mean, at least when we’re at my house I know how everyone’s gonna act. If we’re in an entirely new setting, God knows what’ll happen. Your house might burn down.”

Mustafa chuckled. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take. And besides, didn’t I technically already risk losing my house when I invited you over to bake?”

“Hey…”

“Chill, I’m only teasing.”

“Hm…” Neville pouted, rolling up the candy bag and putting it back in his desk drawer. “Well, alright then. If that’s what you want, then we’ll do that. I still argue that you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

* * *

“Please do _not_ tell me that you’re going out dressed like that.”

Neville rolled his eyes, going back to looking at himself in his bedroom mirror as he continued to do up the buttons on his dark green polo shirt. “Just for that comment, Wade, I’m buttoning all the way to the top.”

“Oh, come on! That just makes it even worse…” Wade grumbled, crossing his arms.

“You brought it on yourself--” Neville was in the middle of turning to face Wade when he froze in his tracks, taking note of what his friend was currently wearing. “Okay, back up. You wanna come at me for wearing an appropriate shirt to family dinner with my boyfriend, but you want to wear _that_?!”

Wade frowned, looking down at the holiday sweater he had on -- a bright red number with the words ‘Santa’s Favorite Ho’ written in white letters across the front. He looked to Neville again and shrugged. “What’s so bad about it?”

Neville narrowed his gaze at him, incredulous. “How do you _not_ see what’s so bad about it?”

“It’s funny!”

“Well, _yeah_ , but… not something you’d wear to something like _this_.”

“It’s dinner at Mustafa’s house, not your damn wedding. Though I _might_ look specifically for wedding sweaters when that time comes.”

Neville shook his head, opting to ignore Wade’s use of the word ‘when’ for the time being. “And shouldn’t you be wearing something more family-friendly? What will the kids think?” Neville figured that Daisy was too young to understand, but Jen had to have an idea at the very least. (Neville may not be the most ‘hip’, but he had a basic understanding of what kids these days talk about.)  
“Don’t worry, I already got their opinions on it.” Wade waved a hand at him, clearly unbothered. “They think it’s funny.”

“Do they, really? Be honest.”

“Yeah! Jen said I should wear it more often. I think she might be onto something.” At that, Neville put his face in his hands, shaking his head again. “Nev, is this really that big of a deal? If it is, then I don’t mind changing. I’ve got another one with two reindeer fucking that might be more fitting for the occasion.”

“No, no, forget about it.” He sighed. He knew that continuing this debate was pointless -- he had more important things to be worrying about, like making sure he looked presentable.

After a beat, Wade spoke again. “You alright? You seem off.”

Neville paused right as he was tying his hair back into a ponytail. “Do I?”

“Mm. You’re acting like a stiff -- which is normal, but… I dunno, it feels different tonight.”

Neville snorted. “I don’t think I’m acting any more stiffish than usual.”

“I respectfully disagree with that.”

“Of _course_ you do…”

“Somethin’ on your mind?” Wade plopped down on Neville’s bed, crossing his legs and putting his arms behind his head. “Talk to me.”

Neville clicked his tongue, somehow keeping the comment about Wade messing up his neatly-made bed to himself. “I just… really hope that tonight goes well, that’s all,” he said instead. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

“You sure? You get like this before dates, but not to this extent. Is there something else?”

He pursed his lips, looking at Wade over his shoulder in the mirror’s reflection. He wanted to get this off his chest, to tell _someone_ about this before he exploded, but he knew that if he told Wade then _he_ would probably be the one to explode. “Well… There _is_ something. You have to swear not to cause a scene, though.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“You want an honest answer to that question?” Neville went over and closed his bedroom door, ensuring that the girls were in their room (and not listening in) before he turned back to face Wade. “So, here’s the thing -- and _don’t_ laugh at this… See, Mustafa and I… still haven’t actually kissed yet.”

Wade frowned, sitting up on the bed. “You haven’t?” When Neville shook his head, he continued, “Why not? I thought you would’ve done that ages ago.”

“Because I’m too much of a nervous wreck, obviously…” Neville had considered doing it during their oddly sensual baking session (after Mustafa quite literally licked his cheek), but he had been hesitant. “It’s been on the cheek only so far. I was thinking that, assuming everything goes well tonight… maybe I’ll kiss him.

“Not ‘maybe’, _definitely_!” Wade stood up, smiling. “You should totally do it!”

“But what if I mess up?”

“How-- How can you possibly mess up a kiss? You’re literally just connecting your lips.”

“I know _how_ to kiss.” Neville rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m more worried about kissing him at the wrong _moment_.”

“Define ‘wrong moment’.”

“What if I think it’s the right time to kiss him, but then someone walks in? Or, what if I think he’s not about to talk, and right as I lean in he tries to say something? I’ll cut him off!”

Wade slowly shook his head with an amused smile, hands on his hips. “ _God_ , are you paranoid. The odds of any of those things happening are so slim, and you know it. And, let’s say by some weird chance you _do_ mess up -- what’s the worst that could happen? You’re a little embarrassed?”

“What if--”

“Do _not_ say that he’ll stop liking you. You and I both know that’s impossible. No one stops liking someone after a botched kiss -- a botched kiss that most likely won’t even _happen_.”

Neville’s mouth formed into a line. “I guess you’re right.” (He _knew_ Wade was right, but he’d be damned if he admitted it.) “You know me, though. I’m always gonna be an anxious mess when it comes to this stuff.”

“We gotta work on getting your confidence up, lad.” He gave Neville a pat on the shoulder. “Man, it’s a Christmas miracle! Neville’s actually gonna kiss someone!” With that, Wade left the room, messing up Neville’s tidy hair in the process.

_Well, that was about the reaction I expected_.

* * *

Neville spent a good part of the night alternating between staring at Mustafa and staring at Wade. The former looked amazing, as he always did, making lovely conversation with Neville and the others over dinner. As it turned out, he and Jen had some similar interests, which naturally led to animated discussions about their favorite TV shows. Seeing how well Mustafa was fitting in with his family made Neville smile.

The latter, on the other hand, kept making Neville roll his eyes. Every time the two of them would make eye contact, even for a fleeting moment, Wade would shoot him a smirk and a wink, sometimes even nudging him with his foot under the table. So long as he was privy to Neville’s little plan, he was going to keep acting like this, even though it was completely uncalled for (not to mention unusual to see at a family dinner).

In fact, Wade’s behavior was so out of place that Mustafa had actually made a comment about it when he and Neville was cleaning up after dessert. “Is there something wrong with his eye?” He whispered as he finished drying a plate, putting it one of the cupboards.

“He’s just a weirdo.” Neville shrugged, not looking up from the plate with leftover cake that he was covering with tinfoil. “You get used to him after awhile.”

“It looked like he was winking at you… And he was making that face…” Mustafa pursed his lips. “Hope you two aren’t getting up to anything behind my back…”

“God, _no_.” Neville insisted, making Mustafa laugh.

“I’m only teasing you, babe. Chill.” He put an arm around Neville’s waist, kissing his temple.

“‘Babe’?” Neville repeated. “That’s a new one.”

“Hmm, thought I’d change things up for the holidays.” He wore a warm smile, still holding Neville, gazing into his eyes.

_Do it now_. The little voice in the back of Neville’s mind was yelling at him. Both the girls and Wade were in the other room, in deep food comas. They weren’t around to interrupt them. All Neville needed to do was lean in, press their lips together, and that would be it. No one could walk in and tease them.

Neville’s eyes shifted down to Mustafa’s lips for a moment before he met his gaze again. The look on Mustafa’s face had changed, but in a good way -- Neville half-expected him to look confused by his staring. If anything, it looked like he was silently encouraging Neville to do what he was planning to do, like he’d been waiting for this. Choosing not to hesitate for any longer, Neville started to lean in--

“Daddy!”

“What--” Neville jumped when he heard Daisy’s voice coming from the doorway, forehead clunking against Mustafa’s and causing him to quickly recoil. “Ow-- What? What is it?”  
“Can we go soon?” She looked a little jumpy.

“What for?”

“Wade says that Santa’s gonna skip over our house if we’re not at home and in bed!” She whined.

“Yeah, and Wade’s also about to get a kick in the ass…” Neville grumbled, and his words were met with a gasp from Jen. “When did you get here?!”

“The swear jar makes no exceptions for the holidays, Daddy!” She said, proudly. Neville sighed, looking over to Mustafa to gauge his reaction to the whole scene. He looked happy, but Neville knew that he just _had_ to be disappointed by the fact that their little moment got interrupted.

“Well, go grab your coats,” Neville replied.

“Do _not_ forget those leftovers!” He heard Wade call from the living room.

“I won’t…”

A few moments later, Neville and the rest of his entourage were ready to go, Neville carrying the tinfoil covered food as he led them to the door. “Well, thanks again, Moose,” he said, though he was too distracted to hear if he responded. The girls were both running around, buzzing with excitement, while Wade was _still_ winking at him (which was funny, seeing as it was his damn fault that he and Mustafa still hasn’t kissed yet).

“Can we go? Can we? _Can we_?” Daisy asked, jumping up and down in front of Neville.

“Of course we can.” Then, he had a thought. “Uh, actually, Wade? Would you mind bringing them back? I’ll catch up with you.”

Wade’s brow was furrowed. “Sure, but why?”

“I just gotta do something real quick.” Wade looked like he wanted to protest more, but he caught on quickly, opting to make finger guns at Neville instead. ( _When did he start doing that?_ ) The girls didn’t seem to understand -- not like they would care, anyway, seeing as they were too busy debating who was going to get more presents.

“Don’t be too late coming home,” he said. “Otherwise Santa might choose not to come. Everyone in the house is supposed to be asleep, after all…” This prompted both Jen and Daisy to give Neville stern looks.

“I won’t, don’t worry. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

With that, they said their goodbyes, Neville watching their retreating figures from the doorway. He saw that a snowflakes were beginning to fall, and he cursed to himself, knowing that he was going to have to do some shoveling in the morning. _Merry Christmas to me, I guess._ He closed the door over and turned back to face Mustafa, who was chuckling at him.

“Cute--” Before Mustafa could get another word out, he was pushed back against the wall, Neville’s lips planted firmly on his. Mustafa barely had enough time to register what was going on before Neville pulled back, eyes wide.

“God, I _knew_ I was gonna cut you off!” He groaned, face bright red. “I-I kept telling myself that it was impossible and that there was no _way_ I was gonna screw it up, because how do you screw up a damn _kiss_ , and yet somehow I still _did_ \--”

“Hey!” Now Mustafa was the one doing the interrupting. “Nev!”

“What?”

“Do me a favor.”

“ _What_?” Suddenly, Mustafa gently took Neville’s face in his hands, smiling softly.

“Shush.”

And, just like that, Mustafa leaned in, kissing him. Though he was surprised, Neville recovered, his arms wrapping around Mustafa’s waist as he responded to the kiss with equal passion. His stomach was doing backflips. The little voice in the back of his mind that had been scolding him for screwing up has receded quietly into the background as Neville lost himself in Mustafa’s soft lips.

Though it seemed like it was too soon (at least, in Neville’s opinion), Mustafa pulled away, connecting their foreheads together. “There, was that better?”

Neville was at a loss for words, his mind blank after the kiss. He managed to give a nod, however, a smile making its way across his face. “Y-Yeah.”

_Safe to say I’ll never forget_ **_this_ ** _Christmas_.


	10. 7/11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My life will be getting busier what with classes starting up again on Monday but my love for this AU Remains The Same

Neville had gotten so used to Wade saying, “New year, new me,” at the beginning of each new year (and ultimately not going through with his little vow) that he’d begun to completely ignore him. When the ball dropped, he would hear Wade say _something_ about changing himself (getting a job, finally moving out and getting himself his own house, things of that nature), but he never really paid much attention to it, knowing that it would end after a few weeks the same way that _all_ New Year’s resolutions did.

Little did he know that Wade actually _meant it_ this time.

“You actually have a job?!” Wade had greeted Neville, who had just gotten back from work, in the hallway with this news. He was in the middle of being welcomed home by Jen and Daisy, one of them wrapped around each of his legs (and essentially trapping him in place). “When did this happen?!”

“Just recently!” He replied. “I started seriously looking for job offers right after New Year’s. Say hello to the newest cashier at 7/11.” Wade put his fists on his hips, posing.

“Cashier?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

Neville knew it was a basic job, but considering the fact that it was the first one he’d had in so long, this was huge. “I’m so happy for you!” He was making a show out of trying to pry Daisy off of his leg, making exaggerated gestures as he failed to do so. “When do you start?”

“Tomorrow.”

“You nervous?” Yet again he attempted to remove a child from his leg, and yet again he wasn’t able to.  
“I am,” he sighed. “But I gotta do it. I’ve been waiting for this for too long.”

“Welcome back to the working world, my friend.” Neville gave it one last go, and he was finally free from the Girl Attack, both Jen and Daisy retreating into the living room to watch TV. “It’ll be good for you.”

“I wonder what my co-workers will be like.” Wade crossed his arms as he gave it some thought. “Hopefully they’re nothing like yours.”

“I’m not trying to scare you away from working or anything, but co-workers at _any_ job suck. They’re not all bad, but most of them are gonna make you wanna pull your hair out.”

“Ugh…” He grumbled. “That is _not_ what I need to hear literally the day before I start working.”

“Meh, you’ll get used to it. Oh, and you’ll be working with the general public, too,” Neville reminded him. He only had to deal with annoying CEOs -- Wade had to deal with the everyday customer. “Sounds like a doozy.”

“I’m _so_ excited to be blamed for shit that isn’t my fault… Y’know, now that I think about it, there are for more negatives than positives when it comes to working.”

“Tell me about it. Congrats again, though.” Neville gave him a pat on the arm, walking past him and making his way to his bedroom. He honestly never thought he would see that day that Wade actually landed himself a job.

Now all that was left was waiting to see if he could keep it.

* * *

Neville’s resolution for that year was to get better at cooking, and to his surprise he was actually sticking with it. He expected himself to give up by late-January or so, but now that time had come, and there he was making dinner that evening. He was impressed with his own determination (and his ability to make macaroni and cheese).

Just as he was stirring the pasta, he heard the front door close, and he looked towards the entrance to the kitchen. “Well, look who it is,” he commented as Wade walked into the room, slumping down into one of the chairs at the table. “If it isn’t Mr. Cashier. So, how was your day today?”

“Good,” he answered almost a little too quickly. Neville raised an eyebrow at him. He noticed that Wade looked a bit antsy, like there was something he was just _dying_ to say. Neville was almost _too_ familiar with that look.

“Did, uh, something happen at work today?” He asked. Wade shook his head. “You sure about that?”

“Yep! I’m positive! Nothing happened at _all_. You can trust me on that one, mate!” Wade laughed nervously, finding the kitchen table far more interesting to look at in that moment than Neville.

“Hmm…” Neville decided not to push the issue and went back to focusing on his cooking. After a moment, he could feel Wade staring at him again, and he looked back at him over his shoulder. “Okay, you’re being weird,” he said.

“Me? Weird? Never!” Wade put his hands up in self defense before putting them back down on the table just a little bit too hard, beginning to drum out a beat with his fingers. “I’m the same as always!”

“If you’re the same as always, then why do you keep staring at me?”

“Since when have I been staring at you?”

“Uh, since you walked through the door?”

Wade cleared his throat. “Well… Okay, maybe I have… But that doesn’t mean something _happened_ or anything! It’s not illegal to stare at you, you know! You’re, uh, actually quite nice to look at.”

Neville chuckled. “Am I?”

“You are. Very easy on the eyes.”

“Do I gotta remind you that I’m already taken?” Neville checked the time and saw that he needed to dump the pasta out, so he turned the stove off, dumping the food into the strainer in the sink. And, sure enough, he felt Wade staring at him again. He even heard him let out a dramatic sigh for good measure. “God, would you _please_ just tell me what’s going on? It’s obvious that you want to. Just do it.”

“What would _ever_ make you say that I want to tell you something?” When Neville shot him a look, Wade shifted in his chair. “...Alright, so maybe I do.”

“So do it already.” Neville was in the process of putting the pasta back into the pot. “C’mon, you know this is a no-judge zone. And besides, I tell _you_ everything that’s bugging me. It’s only fair that you get a chance to say what’s on your mind every now and then. Go on, now. Let’s hear it.”

Wade put his elbows on the table, putting his hands together as if he were praying. “Okay then… Brace yourself for this.”

“I’m ready.”

“How would you react if I told you… that I _might_ have a crush on one of my co-workers?”

Neville almost dropped the packet of cheese sauce into the pot at that, and he looked back to Wade, eyes wide. “You _what_?!”

“I said ‘might’! Never said I actually did!”

“Well, do you?”

“...Yes.”

“God help us all…” Neville resumed mixing in the cheese as he spoke. “First you manage to get a job, and now you have a crush on someone? This year really is your year, huh?”

“It’s going a hell of a lot better than I thought it would, that’s for damn sure.” After a beat, Wade said, “This guy at work… He helped me out a lot during my first day. And he keeps coming to hang out with me during his shift.”

“You’re keeping people from working? Geez, Wade, you’re too hot to ignore, aren’t ya? Those good looks are gonna cost this guy his job one day.”

“And he’s always making jokes about all the customers after they leave. We’ve got similar senses of humor.”

Neville snorted. “So you’re both immature? Sounds like the two of you were made for each other.” He stopped mixing, putting the spoon aside and leaning back against the counter. “What’s his name?”

“Austin.” Wade started to trace a tiny crack in the table with his finger as he spoke.

“Austin, huh?” It was a nice name -- sounded just douchebaggy enough for Wade to develop an interest in him. “If you like him so much, why don’t you try asking him out?”

“Nah, I’ll pass,” Wade replied very nonchalantly, still tracing the crack.  
“Wh-- Seriously? Since when were you so afraid of asking people out?”

“I’m not _afraid_ of it. Just not sure if it’s something I should do.”

“Why not?”

“He’s probably not gonna say yes. I’ll save myself the embarrassment.”

“You’re not even gonna _try_ to ask him out?” After spending so much time teasing Neville about how he needed to ask Mustafa out, Wade was hesitant to do the same? “You don’t know for sure if he’ll say no.”

“No, but I’m not sure it’s worth my time and energy to find out.” Wade got up from the table, stretching. “Anyways, I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. I’m sure I’ll get over this crush sooner or later.”

“You…” Neville shook his head. “You’re impossible sometimes, y’know that?”

“Sure do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get out of these damn clothes.”

“We’ll save some food for you. Oh, before you head downstairs, can you tell the girls it’s time to eat?” Wade made a vague gesture of acknowledgement with his hand before leaving the room. And, sure enough, Neville heard the basement door close, not a peep from Wade about dinner being ready. _Can’t say I expected any less_.

“Ladies, get your butts in here!” Neville called. He caught sight of his phone sitting on the table and, just as he was about to set it aside, decided to text Mustafa.

 

 **Me:** Wade has a crush and is being difficult about it.

 **Moose:** Oh? What’s he doing?

 

Neville had figured that Mustafa was just sitting down to eat dinner at that time, so he hadn’t anticipated receiving a response right away. Smiling, he typed out a reply of his own.

 

 **Me:** I told him to try asking the guy out, but he keeps saying that he doesn’t wanna.

Something about it not being worth his time.

 **Moose:** Aww.

 **Me:** He bugged me for WEEKS about having a crush on you, so I feel like it’s my job as

his friend to return the favor.

 **Moose:** I like where this is going ;)

 **Nev:** Let’s say I give you his number. Could I trust you to spam him with texts about how

he should totally ask Austin out?

 **Moose:** Austin? That’s the guy he likes?

 **Nev:** The one and only.

 **Moose:** Give me the damn number. Right now.

 

Neville snorted at the last response, quickly typing out Wade’s number and sending it along just as Jen and Daisy arrived in the kitchen. There was a part of him that expected Mustafa to tell him to leave Wade alone and let him work through this on his own -- he was pleasantly surprised to find out that he was willing to go along with Neville’s little plan.

 _This should be fun_.

* * *

“So, what did Wade end up doing?” Mustafa asked, watching as Neville took the mail out of out the mailbox and started to look over it.

“Well, I’m pretty sure he said something about blocking your number,” Neville replied, frowning at the obnoxious amount of spam he received. _I thought I unsubscribed to this shit_ … He thought as he ripped one of the letters in half.

Mustafa clicked his tongue. “Damn. I’ll have to try texting him again later. See if he really did that.”

“He’s all talk, don’t worry about him. He’s been threatening to block mine for years.”

“Has he ever?”

“Once, but that was before he moved in. ‘S kinda hard to block me when you’re living in my basement.” Neville raised his eyebrows when he found a letter addressed to Daisy. _Must be another birthday party invitation. When did my kids get this popular?_ “And let’s say by some chance that he actually _did_ block yours, there’s a way we can work around it.”

“Oh yeah? What’ve you got planned?”

“You can just tell him in person. You _do_ live next door, y’know.”

Mustafa laughed. “That’s true.”

“Hey, you wanna come in for a bit? It’s cold as shit out here.” Neville asked as he crossed his arms, his winter coat doing the exact opposite of what it was supposed to do.

“Sure.”

The house was silent when the two of them entered. “Where’re the kids?” Mustafa asked, looking around, clearly offput by the quietness.

“They went over to a friend’s house after school,” Neville replied, huffing as he finally freed himself from the coat, Mustafa doing the same. “They’re gonna be staying for dinner. They should be back in a few hours.”

“Ah. And Wade?”

“Still at work.” As he took Mustafa’s coat, Neville realized that he still had the mail. “You can go sit down on the couch. I’ll be back in a second.”

They parted ways, and Neville went into the kitchen, putting their coats on the backs of some chairs and dropping the letters on the table. There were a handful that were actually relevant, but he would take a closer look at them later. After a long day of working, sorting through bills was the last thing on his mind.

Neville made his way into the living room where he found Mustafa sitting on the couch, looking at something on his phone. Mustafa looked up and put it aside when he realized that Neville was back, however, and he smiled as he sat down next to him. “So, since you’re an expert chef now, what’re you gonna make for dinner tonight?” He asked as he scootched a little closer to Neville, resting his head on his shoulder and his hand on his knee.

“You flatter me.” Neville grabbed the remote and switched the TV on before putting an arm around Mustafa. “And honestly, I’m too lazy to cook tonight. Wade and I’ll probably order something.”

“Oh, cool. What do you think you’ll get?”

Neville shrugged. “I’ll leave it up to him. I’m not picky.” He let out a sigh when he couldn’t find anything to watch, settling for a random movie channel and putting the remote down on the coffee table. “I swear, there’s never anything good on anymore.”

“We can always watch Frozen again. I know how much you love it.”

He scoffed. “You’re a real wiseguy, you know that? I swear, you’re _so_ lucky you’re cute…”

“Hmm, maybe I am.” Mustafa leaned up and gave Neville a kiss. Neville tilted his head as he kissed him back, resting a hand on the back of his head and keeping him close as the kiss grew more passionate.

Neville only pulled away when he felt Mustafa’s hand beginning to trail up his thigh, and he looked down at it, watching closely. “Something wrong, Nev?” Mustafa asked.

“N-No,” he responded, swallowing. Neville met his gaze, noticing the mischievous glint in his eyes. Christ, _why_ did he have to be looking at him like that?!

Mustafa frowned. “Do you want me to stop?” He asked softly. “Because I can. It’s totally okay.”

“No,” Neville said again, surprising himself with the firmness of his answer. “Don’t stop Please.”

That got a chuckle out of him. “Okay. Just say the word if you want me to, though.”

And with that, Mustafa smirked, the look in his eyes returning as he started to move his hand again. “So… Have I ever told you…” He began, his hand now resting over Neville’s crotch. “...that you look so damn good in your work clothes?”

“Oh?”

“Mm. But, honestly? I’d think you’d look a hell of a lot better with them off.” Neville was about to respond, but he was cut off when Mustafa started to rub him through his pants, and he let out a small gasp.

“You good, baby…?” He asked, voice low and a little husky as he bit the shell of Neville’s ear. Neville nodded fervently, and Mustafa let out a dark chuckle. He took the zipper of Neville’s pants in-between his fingers. “Can I…?”

But of course, because Neville just can’t have nice things, Wade came home right at that moment.

All Neville needed to hear was the front door slamming open to push Mustafa away, looking for the nearest throw-pillow and hastily placing it on his lap before Wade could walk in. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Mustafa, who (from what he could see out of the corner of his eye) had buried his face in his hands. _Jesus fucking Christ, I should’ve_ **_known_ ** _this would happen_ …

Neville managed to force a smile on his face when Wade came walking into the room, looking far happier than he should have after a day of working with the general public. “What’s with that look, huh?” Neville asked, which caused Wade to halt in his tracks.

“I could say the same for you two,” he replied, looking between the two of them for a moment before continuing, “Whatever, that’s not important. I have _big_ news.”

“I’m sure you do.” Neville looked up towards the ceiling, still very obviously annoyed at Wade for his horrendous timing.

“Austin asked _me_ out.”

This was enough to snap both of them out of their little moods. “Wait, so he actually asked _you_ out first?” Neville was shocked.

“And I texted him all that stuff for _nothing_?” Mustafa crossed his arms and glared at Neville, earning a shrug from him in response.

“How was I supposed to know this would happen?”

“Wade, don’t block my number, it was all his idea! I swear!”

“Oh, so just put all the blame on me. Okay, I get it. That’s fine. _Totally_ fair.”

“You _told me_ to do it, it literally is all your fault--”

“Cool it, gentlemen, no need to argue,” Wade said, holding up his hands. “I see tensions are high this evening. This isn’t really worth getting heated over.”

 _People tend to get emotional when they’re turned on and get interrupted_. “How did he do it?” Neville asked.

“He just asked me to go out to lunch with him tomorrow. I was working the register, there were no customers around since it was a slow day, and he brought it up. I legit wasn’t expecting it at all.”

Neville wanted to say that he was paying attention to the rest of what Wade said about how _amazing_ and _suave_ Austin was, and how he practically invented the concept of romance, but in reality he couldn’t stop thinking about what he and Mustafa were about to do. Mustafa had literally been _right_ about to unzip Neville’s pants and help him to relax a bit after a stressful day of working when they were interrupted. This was something that Neville had so desperately wanted, and it was snatched away from him--

Wait, now that he thought about it, when did he suddenly become okay with the idea of the two of them having sex? They had joked about it once or twice before, but he had never actually given it serious thought. For the longest time he’d been afraid to simply _kiss_ Mustafa -- hell, he had felt like a lovestruck teenager after Mustafa kissed his cheek for the first time. Now, he felt ready to take that next step with him. It was as if everything changed with that one smooch on Christmas.

“But, anyways!” Neville came back down to reality when he heard the sound of Wade clapping his hands together, though he was still a little peeved. “That’s enough of that. I’m starving.”

“Oh, right, I was going to ask if you wanted to order something,” Neville mentioned. “Since I’m in no mood to cook tonight.”

“Sounds good to me. Hey, Moose, you wanna stick around for dinner?”

“This isn’t gonna be another interrogation, is it?” Mustafa asked, though he was smiling, much to Neville’s surprise. “I’m not sure I can handle it.”

“No, it won’t. Or, well, maybe it will. Guess you’ll have to stick around to find out for sure, huh?” He winked. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Wade headed down the hallway towards the basement door, leaving Neville and Mustafa alone again. Neville cleared his throat, slowly turning to look at Mustafa, who actually looked like he was ready to bust out laughing.

“Honestly, _what_ were the odds of that happening?” He asked, putting his head back on Neville’s shoulder. “They were so damn slim, man.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth, Moose…” Neville grumbled, reaching up a hand and patting his head.

They would have to try again another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I'm NOT gonna give away any Spoilers(TM) or nothin, but I will say this -- see how there's that one tag on this fic that says the rating will go up at some point? Just as a heads up: next week's chapter is responsible for the Increase In Rating. Do with this info what you will
> 
> :3c


	11. Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey SO if you didn't see the note at the end of the last chapter im gonna take a moment to repeat the main point -- the rating of this fic has gone up from T to M, specifically because of this chapter. i was GONNA keep it at T and then point out in the tags that there's one Mature chapter in it, as a warning, but i figured that just changing the rating altogether was a better move
> 
> anyways that's about it. have fun
> 
> :3c

Neville had always found Valentine’s Day and the whole hubbub surrounding it to be totally overrated. He couldn’t see why people had to wait for a specific day to tell their partner they love them, when they could easily do that whenever the hell they wanted. He believed it to be nothing more than a capitalistic scheme. (The fact that he’d only had two Valentines over the course of thirty-one years certainly didn’t appeal him to the holiday, either.)

But leave it to Mustafa to get him to start looking forward to the day.

“So…” Mustafa began when the two of them were stopped at a red light, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. They were just coming back from a Sunday afternoon walk in the park, which was something that Neville arguably would have preferred to do in the spring or summer, but it was still a lovely date nonetheless -- and being able to hold Mustafa’s hand for warmth was a plus. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

“Oh no, this doesn’t sound good…” Neville replied, though there wasn’t any malice in his voice. “What’s up?”  
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately,” he continued. “You know, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner…”

“Oh God, don’t tell me you actually buy into all that crap…” He gave a roll of the eyes, which was met with a surprised chuckle in response as the light turned green.

“Man, what is your beef with Valentine’s?”

“It’s a dumb and overhyped holiday.” He shrugged, saying that as if it were the most obvious thing ever. “People get way too into it. It’s ridiculous.”

“You really think so?” Mustafa frowned, and if Neville wasn’t mistaking it looked like he slumped back into the car seat a bit. “I think it’s kinda cute…”

Seeing that caused Neville’s tune to change very quickly. “Okay, so it isn’t _that_ bad,” he admitted, noting that Mustafa now looked pleased with his answer. “It’s just… I don’t know, something about seeing all those lovey-dovey couples fawning over each other ticks me off.” _Not to mention that Wade and Austin will be getting up to God knows what in the basement the whole day…_ “Like, why can’t you show your appreciation for each other _every_ day? Why does this one random day in February bring out the love in everyone? Where was it before? Ugh, ignore me, I’m just talking stupid…”

Mustafa laughed at him again, waiting until they were at another red light before leaning over and kissing Neville’s temple. “You’re not talking stupid at all, I get what you’re saying.” He gave Neville a little pat on the shoulder. “Still, I think it’d be nice if we at least did _something_ , since it’s next week ‘n all.”

“Well, you know I’m incapable of saying no to a date with you. I’ll hear you out, but only under one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“Whatever this date is, it _cannot_ involve us going out anywhere on the actual day.”

He pouted cutely as the light changed and he began to drive again. “Seriously? Aww, there goes my big idea…”

“Come on, Moose!”

“I’m only kidding,” he assured him. “That wasn’t what I had planned at all. You’ll never catch me going out on the day of, it’s on a weekday this year. I’m gonna be supervising a Valentine’s Day party attended entirely by screaming kids. I won’t be in _any_ mood to go out after that.”

“Your students are having a party?” He wondered if Daisy and Jen were doing similar things in their classes this year. He’d have to remember to buy Valentine’s cards.

“Yeah! We always have parties whenever the holidays roll around,” he explained as he waved on another driver. “They’re fun. Scary, also. But mostly fun.”

“How are they scary?”

“One word: sugar.” Mustafa shuddered, as if he were remembering something frightening. “Candy plus children always equals a wild damn time.”

“You say this as if I don’t have two children of my own who practically _live_ for Halloween,” Neville sighed, remembering how he had been dragged literally _all_ over the neighborhood last October, just so the girls and their friends could get to all the ‘good’ houses. “But, to get back on topic now: what _was_ your plan?”

“Oh, right,” he started as he rounded a corner onto their street. “I was thinking that we could just hang out at my house, if that’s cool with you. Maybe on Saturday you could come over and we can watch movies or something. Just the two of us.” He pulled into his driveway, shutting the car off. “We’re long overdue for some alone time.”

“Hmm.” Neville thought it over for a moment. It was basic, but it was a sweet idea. He would love nothing more than to chill out with Mustafa and make fun of lame romance movies, with their tacky kisses and poorly written sex scenes. “Sounds good to me.”

“Awesome!” Mustafa gave Neville another kiss, this time on his lips. “We’ll have to work out all the details. Be sure to text me some movie recs, too.”

“Trust me, I will. I have plenty.” He had more than he probably should.

“Why so many?”

“Because Jen’s obsessed with romcoms. I have enough cheesy movies lined up for _ten_ Valentine’s dates. Can’t tease them when she’s around, otherwise she gets _so_ mad.”

“You’ve got some interesting kids, you know that, Nev?” Mustafa mused.

“I’m all too aware…”

* * *

Neville had just gone downstairs after preparing himself for his movie date when he heard Wade speak the dreaded ‘s’ word -- the one word that never failed to send a shiver down his spine whenever it was uttered.

“Snow?”

Neville halted in his tracks and darted into the living room. “Nev, you seein’ this weather report?” Wade gestured vaguely to the TV with his phone, and Neville looked in that direction, seeing that the forecast was calling for over a foot that night. A bonafide blizzard. Suddenly, Neville felt like bashing his head into the wall.

“Why does it have to be _that much_?” He complained, though his whining was drowned out by Jen and Daisy’s celebration and discussions of how much they were planning on playing in it. “Like, didn’t we get that much in the last storm?”

“Somethin’ like that.”

“ _God_ , winter’s such a pain…” _Is it spring yet? Because it really should be_. “Wade, you’re helping me shovel that sh-- crap.” Upon Jen’s glare, he continued, “Don’t look at me like that, you. I corrected myself.”

“Jar’s getting mighty full, Daddy…” She pointed out.

“Yeah, Daddy,” Wade added with a snort.

“Don’t encourage her!” God, her evil stare was beginning to get a bit much for Neville. _Did she inherit that from me?_

“Calm down, would you? And of course I’ll help you with the shovelling.” Wade typed out a text on his phone, presumably to Austin, as he spoke. “And hey, look on the bright side. Reports can be wrong sometimes, so maybe it won’t be as bad as predicted. They’re saying there’s a chance it could move and go right past us. We might not get much at all.”

“Don’t say that!” Daisy yelled as she got up from the floor -- why the two sisters were on the floor in the first place when there was a perfectly good couch a few feet away from them was a complete mystery. “If you say stuff like that, then it might come true! It’s your fault if we get nothing!”

“You kids put way too much faith into the things that Wade says.” Neville kept his eyes on the report, grimacing at the unsightly bright pink that was covering their area on the map. An obnoxious color for an obnoxious weather event -- it was a match made in heaven. “And let’s be honest here, do you kids _really_ want another storm? We just had one not too long ago. You’re not all snowed out yet?”

There it was, that evil glare again, this time two of them since Daisy had joined in. “Okay, forget I said anything,” Neville added in an attempt to defend himself. _I’d better get out of here before I get attacked or something_. “Anyway, I’ll be going out for a little bit.”

“When’re you gonna be back by?” Wade asked, glancing down at his phone for a quick moment as it chimed.

“What time is this storm supposed to start again?”

“Uh… Looks like it’ll start at four, but get worse by around five.”

“So I’ll be home before five.” _There go my plans of staying for dinner_. “Okay, you two?” He pointed at the girls. “Don’t kill Wade while I’m gone. I wanna come home to a house with three relatively unharmed people in it. We clear?”

“Can’t promise that…” Jen pursed her lips. Wade was incredulous at this response.

“You _can’t_?! Nev, the moment you step out that door, it’ll be all over for me.”

“That’s my girls!” Neville ruffled up their hair, pausing for a moment before deciding to mess up Wade’s hair as well. “Can’t leave you out now, can I? ‘sides, it might be the last time I get to do that.”

And with that, Neville left his children and terrified best friend behind as he slipped on his coat and braved the chilly afternoon air. He was grateful that Mustafa’s house was only right next door -- he’d freeze to death if he had to walk for too long…

...Though, as cliche as it may sound, the happiness Neville felt when Mustafa answered the door and greeted him with a kiss warmed him up immediately.

“You can definitely feel that there’s a storm coming,” Neville commented as he hung up his coat, Mustafa putting an arm around him.

“Good thing you’re in here and not out there, huh?” He said as he led Neville over to the couch, which was covered in blankets -- a lovely sight on a day such as this. “When’s it supposed to start again?”

“Around dinner time, Wade said. So we’ve got just enough time to make fun of a couple of movies before I gotta go.” Neville wrapped himself up in one of the blankets immediately, which made Mustafa laugh.

“Damn, how cold _is it_ out there?” He joined Neville on the couch, snuggling close to him and picking up the remote. “So I was looking around on Netflix for something _really_ tacky, and I think I might’ve found something good.”

“Oh?”

“Just wait until you see it.”

As Mustafa began to enter the title of the movie into the search box, Neville suddenly felt a wave of tiredness wash over him. He didn’t have a very good night’s sleep the night before, work-related things keeping him up, and his exhaustion was starting to catch up with him.

He tried to ignore it, however, and he sat up a bit when the movie began to play. He didn’t want to look drowsy, not in the middle of a date. “Just a fair warning,” Mustafa started, “it looks like there _is_ a sex scene in here.”

“What?!” Neville gasped. “A _sex_ scene? What kind of _pornography_ are you trying to expose me to, Moose? My poor virgin eyes…”

“Yes, because you know nothing about sex, Mr. Father-of-two-children,” he teased, kissing him on the cheek. “I’ve got snacks too.” He gestured towards the coffee table, where Neville saw a few bowls of various snacks laid out.

“You’re prepared. I like that.” Neville reached over and grabbed a pretzel. “So, what’s the plot of this movie, exactly?”

“Technically it’s no different from any other silly rom-com, but it’s so… so… I’m not sure what the word is…”

“‘Straight’?”

“Well, _yeah_ but… I don’t know, there’s just something really goofy about it. You’ll see.”

“I’m waiting with bated breath.”

The two of them watched in silence for a bit, both of them idly eating the snacks and making the occasional comment whenever something particularly corny was said by one of the main characters. Neville’s grogginess was gradually starting to become an issue, and it only became more prevalent the more dull the movie became.

Neville decided that he would shut his eyes for just a few moments, resting his head on Mustafa’s shoulder as he pulled the blankets tighter around himself. “You sleepy?” Mustafa asked, holding him close.

“Mm,” Neville replied. “Had a busy week.” Part of him felt a little bad for acting like this -- they were supposed to be enjoying each other’s company, after all. It didn’t seem right for him for be falling asleep when he was hanging out with someone.

Mustafa didn’t seem to mind, however, and he gently kissed the top of Neville’s head. “Rest up, love,” he muttered.

“I just need five minutes, that’s all…” Neville’s voice was soft when he spoke, and before he knew it he was slowly drifting off.

* * *

Neville awoke lying on Mustafa’s chest, and almost immediately he knew that something was wrong.

It wasn’t as if Mustafa also being asleep was a crime or anything -- in fact, if Neville didn’t have this odd feeling in the pit of his stomach, he might have taken a moment to appreciate how cute Mustafa looked when he slept. There was something else going on, something else that made him feel like he’d just done something wrong.

It didn’t take him very long to realize what it was.

He had slept _way_ longer than just five minutes.

“The fuck…” He mumbled, adjusting his glasses. The movie had ended ages ago, and it was dark in the living room. He squinted at the time on the cable box -- it was half past six. “Oh, God, wait a minute…” He didn’t want to, but he had no choice. He slowly turned his head to look out the window.

The storm was already in full swing.

Neville stood up a little too quickly and took a moment to steady himself before hurrying to look outside, frowning when he saw how deep the snow had gotten. Wade had been wrong -- the storm wasn’t going to be better than expected at all. It was _worse_.

He heard a little grunt from behind him, and Neville turned around, spotting Mustafa rubbing at his eyes as he stirred. “Hmm, you okay, Nev?” He asked, voice gravelly, and he cleared his throat.

“Not exactly,” he replied with a nervous laugh. Mustafa seemed a little more awake now that he’d said that.

“What’s going on? Everything alright?”

“Take a look at this.” Neville moved away from the window right as Mustafa got off of the couch.

“Ugh, for real?” He groaned when he got a look at how messy it was.

“Well, at least I live next door. It’s not like I’m walking a big distance…” Neville huffed. He _really_ did not want to go outside in that.

It seemed like Mustafa had read his mind, and he rested a hand on the small of Neville’s back. “You don’t want to leave, do you?”

“Not really.”

“I’ll be honest, I don’t want you to leave either. You can barely see a thing out there…” He clicked his tongue. “I don’t want you to fall.”

“I mean… I’ll probably be _fine_. Like I said, I’m not walking far at all.”

“True, but… I’d feel better if you didn’t go. The sidewalks haven’t been cleared yet -- you might slip.” He brushed Neville’s hair out of his face. “And we spent our whole date sleeping. We barely got to spend any time together. I don’t want you to leave just yet.”

“Are you suggesting…” Neville raised an eyebrow. “A sleepover?”

Mustafa shrugged. “Hmm… I might be…”

“I like the way you think, Moose.” Neville gave him a peck on the lips. “I don’t have anything to change into for bed, though.”

“You really think I’m not gonna loan you something to wear? It might be a little small on you, but… It’ll work for the night.”

“Hmm, fine. I’ll text Wade and let him know he’s in charge for the rest of the night. Man, he’s gonna be _pissed_.”

“Doesn’t he like watching the girls? Wait, you said awhile ago that he wasn’t big on it, didn’t you?”

“It’s not that he’s not big on it,” Neville explained as he picked up his phone, wincing at the many texts from Wade that he’d received while asleep. “He likes it, for sure. He was expecting me to be home for dinner, though. Which would mean that he’s free for the rest of the night.”

“Ah, I see. So now he has to actually be responsible.”

“Exactly.” Neville took advantage of the lull in the conversation and began going over the text messages.

 

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** dude, where are you??

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** you were supposed to be home almost an hour ago, what’s going on??

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** were those movies THAT good??

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** nev

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** nev are you dead

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** did you and mustafa elope

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** was daisy right on the money about you two getting married

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** i should have KNOWN

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** she’s only 6 but she’s wise beyond her years

 

_Christ, what a nuisance…_

 

 **Me:** I’m fine, stop worrying. Mustafa and I fell asleep and lost track of the time.

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** oh. i kinda liked the thought of you guys eloping

 **Me:** Of course you did.

 **Me:** It’s messy as hell out there, I’m not in ANY mood to go outside. I’ll be spending the night over here.

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** really?? oh god you’re leaving me here with these MENACES??

 **Me:** Don’t be intimidated by them, Wade. They’re children. You’ve watched them before.

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** yea but never overnight

 **Me:** Just make them a frozen pizza or something and plop them down in front of the television.

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** what time do you think your gonna be back by??

 **Me:** *you’re

 **Me:** Not late, probably around 8 or 9 tomorrow morning. You’ll find a way to live until then.

 **Wade “Cockblock” Barrett:** how??

 **Me:** Tell the girls about your riveting experiences as a cashier. Maybe that’ll convince them to spare you.

 

It was after he finished texting that he realized how hungry he was. The snacks from earlier weren’t nearly as filling as he’d thought, though there was still some left over. He began to pick at the cold popcorn as Mustafa sat down next to him.

“I don’t know about you, Nev, but I’m starving. You wanna help me with dinner?” He asked, smiling. “Since you’re apparently an expert chef now.”

“You greatly overestimate my abilities, Moose,” Neville replied. “But sure. What were you planning on making tonight?”

“I’ll have to see what I’ve got. Worst case scenario, I have a seemingly endless supply of pasta. We can just have that.”

“Oh God, you too?” Neville thought he was the only one who had an abnormal amount of macaroni in his house.

Mustafa only shrugged. “It’s good stuff. Now, come on.” He grabbed Neville by the hand, leading him into the kitchen. “Show me what you’re made of!”

* * *

In the end, they had decided on pasta. Neither one of them felt motivated enough to make anything that required any more effort than boiling water, the post-nap funk hitting both of them and making them feel particularly lazy.

“I _never_ feel good after a nap,” Neville complained as he finished scrubbing the last of the dishes, placing them in the drying rack next to the sink. “I always feel so meh.”

“Yeah, same,” Mustafa replied, approaching Neville from behind and resting his chin on his shoulder. “That’s why I try not to take naps. I wake up with a headache every time.”

“You have one right now?”

“A little bit. It’s not that bad this time. Maybe it’s because you were sleeping with me.” He kissed his cheek, making Neville chuckle.

“You’re a bit of a geek, you know that?”

“Only when you’re around.” Mustafa let go of him, looking around the kitchen for something. “Actually, I have an idea for what we could do to get out of this mood.”

“What’s that?” Neville watched as he reached for his phone, typing something in. Before he could ask what he was looking for, he heard music playing. It wasn’t a song he cared for -- just one of the many generic pop songs that he heard blasting from Jen and Daisy’s room sometimes. Why Mustafa had it on his phone, readily available for listening, was beyond him.

“Moose, what are you…?” Neville stopped when he realized that Mustafa was now shimmying a little. “Oh good God, no…”

This reaction only seemed to encourage Mustafa. “What’s wrong, Nev?” He asked, still very much grooving.

“Why are you doing this?”

“What, you’re not a dancer?”  
“No, and clearly you aren’t either.” Neville couldn’t help but laugh at Mustafa’s poor excuse at dancing. He had hoped that saying that would be enough to get him to stop, but once again it had no effect other than making Mustafa do it even more. “Why must you be like this?”

“Oh, you love it!” Mustafa spun towards him, Neville just managing to dodge out of the way before he could be caught. His attempts at escaping were futile, however, as Mustafa was able to easily catch up to him, pinning him against the wall.

“Damn, you’re fast…” Neville sighed, looking at him with a fond smile. Mustafa didn’t say anything, clearly caught up in the song. _Why couldn’t I have dated someone with a better music taste…_

Neville’s thoughts were interrupted when he felt Mustafa’s lips pressed up against his, and he kissed back. What he had expected to be just a little kiss gradually escalated, and before he knew it he found himself wrapping his arms around Mustafa’a waist, letting out a content hum when their bodies were slotted together.

Then, Neville noticed that the tone of the song had changed. It was now notably more sensual, and Mustafa’s behavior had changed in turn. He felt Mustafa’s hips grinding against his as he nipped on Neville’s lower lip, the friction causing Neville to gasp and break the kiss.

“You okay?” Mustafa asked, brows scrunched together. “Sorry, was that too much?”

“No, no, it wasn’t. I just wasn’t expecting that. Caught me off guard there,” he replied as Mustafa took a step back and reached for his phone, turning the song off and allowing for silence to take over the kitchen. There was a part of Neville that felt disappointed that their little moment was over (as well as annoyed at himself for being so surprised by Mustafa’s actions). It shouldn’t have ended.

To put it bluntly, he wanted _more_.

At the same time, he was nervous. He remembered quite clearly what happened the last time the two of them had gotten a bit handsy with each other. As much as he _wanted_ to be intimate with Mustafa, he couldn’t help but worry that this would be a repeat of last time, that _somehow_ they were going to be interrupted again. Even though there was no way that would happen, as the doors were locked and no one was able to get outside, he had to wonder if--

_...Wait._

The last thought that Neville had kept repeating itself over and over again in his head. He was too busy worrying that something so obvious was only just now becoming apparent to him. Wade wasn’t there. _No one_ other than he and Mustafa were in the house. The weather was too bad for anyone to be walking around. Simply put, it was absolutely _impossible_ for anyone to interrupt them.

This was their chance.

If this was going to happen, it would have to happen _right now_.

“Nev?” Mustafa asked, as if he could see the gears slowly turning in Neville’s head. Neville smirked at him as he finally made his decision, which prompted Mustafa to mirror his expression. “What’re you thinkin’ about?”

Neville responded by grabbing hold of Mustafa’s collar, pulling him in for another passionate kiss. “I’m thinkin’...” He started when they broke away for air. “...that we need to go to your bedroom.”

* * *

Of all the times that Neville had been in Mustafa’s house, he had never gone upstairs. He had become very familiar with the first floor, but he had no way of knowing that the rest of the house -- specifically Mustafa’s bedroom -- looked like.

Needless to say, he was about to become very well acquainted with it.

“So, this is your room, huh?” Neville said as he took a look around. It was actually fairly similar to his own, if a little bit smaller. He smiled when he caught sight of a framed photo of the two of them that Mustafa had next to his bed -- one of the many selfies he had insisted they take together on one of their dates. He thought Mustafa had only taken it for fun. The fact that he had gone out of his way to get it framed was… touching.

“It is,” Mustafa replied as he shut the bedroom door (even though he technically didn’t have to, since they were alone… Neville _still_ had to remind himself of that). “This is where I sleep, relax…” He sauntered over to Neville, wrapping his arms around him. “...think of you...”

“Oh?” Neville licked his lower lip. “And what kinds of things do you think about me?”

“Hmm…” He pushed Neville down onto the bed, climbing on top of him and straddling his waist. “Lots of things. I think about you being underneath me, just like you are right now…”

“I see…” Neville reached up a hand, brushing Mustafa’s hair out of his face and tucking some of it behind his ear. “And what do you _do_ while you’re thinking of me?”

Mustafa smirked down at him -- _God_ , he looked so good from this angle. If there was ever a time where Neville entertained the idea of actually hooking up with Mustafa, those fantasies were nothing compared to seeing the real thing. “Do you want me to _tell_ you,” he bent down, kissing Neville on his lips, “or would you rather I _show_ you?”

Neville’s eyebrows raised at that, the inside of his mouth going dry. “Show me,” he replied probably a little too quickly, making Mustafa laugh.

“You’re so eager…” He teased, climbing off of Neville (much to his disappointment) and leaning back against the headboard. “Well, I’ll be honest, it gets kinda… _hot_ in here when I think of you. Hot to the point where I can’t even keep my shirt on.”

Before Neville could react to that, Mustafa pulled his shirt up and over his head, accidentally throwing it directly at Neville’s face. “Oh! Sorry, Nev.”  
Neville took a second to process what had just happened, and he grabbed the shirt and tossed it aside, noticing that Mustafa was laughing again. “What’s so funny?” He asked.

“I know you probably don’t believe me, but I did _not_ mean for that to hit you in the face,” he said between giggles. “I swear I was aiming somewhere else. Your head just got in the way.”

“Mhm.” Neville frowned, though that was less because of the shirt hitting him and more because of Mustafa’s fit of laughter interrupting his demonstration.

It was during this time that Neville took a moment to _really_ look at Mustafa. He had never seen Mustafa shirtless before -- he’d thought about it many times, but he’d never actually seen it in person. He was… well, stunning. Neville wanted nothing more than to touch him, to put his hands all over him, but he knew that he couldn’t. Not when Mustafa was in the middle of _this_.

It didn’t take Mustafa very long to get back into the mood, and at last he continued. “Okay, where was I… So, it gets too hot, and I have to take my shirt off. Actually, my pants come off too, now that I think about it--”

“Please don’t throw those at my head this time,” Neville interrupted right as Mustafa began to unbutton his pants.

“Hmph.” Mustafa pouted, though he obliged, this time aiming for the door and missing Neville’s face by a longshot. “You’re no fun.”

“What comes next, love?” Neville asked, eyes raking over Mustafa’s half naked body, eventually landing on the bulge at the front of his underwear, his pants starting to grow tighter at the sight.

“Well… Actually, in all my little fantasies, _you_ aren’t wearing all that much either,” he said. “Sometimes _I’m_ the one that takes your clothes off.” He got on his knees and was about to reach for the hem of Neville’s shirt when he stopped. “Or, if you’d rather take ‘em off yourself, that’s fine. Whatever you wanna do.”

“You can do it.” After saying that, Neville allowed for him to lift up his shirt, taking it off and letting it fall to the floor with the rest of the clothes. Neville shivered when Mustafa’s hands began to slowly trail down his torso, fingers leaving goosebumps in their wake.

“Woah…” Mustafa breathed out, hands resting on Neville’s thighs. “You… You’re _so_ beautiful, you know that?”

Neville felt his face go hot at Mustafa’s words, though he tried not to let on how flustered he was. He sounded so… _genuine_ . No one had praised Neville with that much pure adoration in _years_. “You think so?”

“Mhm...” Mustafa went to work unbuttoning Neville’s pants, slowly pulling them off, looking almost in awe at every new part of Neville that he was exposed to. “So, so beautiful…” he emphasized. He leaned back against the headboard again, his legs now slightly parted. “So… then there’s the _next_ part…”

“Which is…?” Neville watched as Mustafa’s hand trailed down to rest on the waistband of his underwear, and he swallowed.

“Next…” Mustafa tugged his underwear down, freeing his cock and taking hold of it. “Well, next comes _this_.” With that, he began to move his hand up and down the shaft, biting his lip and tipping his head back.

Neville’s mouth fell open, and he was staring down at Mustafa’s hand possibly a little too intently. With every small gasp that he let out, every little hitch of his breath, Neville felt his heart skip a beat. His fists clenched as he shifted his gaze to look at Mustafa’s face -- his eyes had fluttered shut, expression filled with pleasure as he touched himself. Neville’s mind was racing, so many different thoughts running through his head. Thoughts about how badly he wanted -- no, _needed_ to be the one making him feel so good.

And so, he took action.

“Hey,” Neville said as he put a hand on Mustafa’s thigh, interrupting him.

“Y-Yeah?”

“Let me do it. Please,” he practically begged, which made Mustafa smile, almost darkly.

“Oh? Tell me what you wanna do.”

“I…” Neville started. Without thinking, he continued, “I want… to put my mouth on you.”

This seemed to catch Mustafa off guard, but he recovered quickly. “Do you, now? Boy, you’re even more eager than I thought you were…” He spread his legs a bit wider, giving Neville enough room to fit comfortably between them. “Well, go on. Do what you wanna do.”

Neville took one more look at Mustafa before getting into position, nerves suddenly welling up in his stomach. Of all the things he could have volunteered to do, why did he choose the one he was the most inexperienced with? He wanted to give Mustafa a heads up about his lack of skill, but part of him felt that it was too late to say that now… Plus, he didn’t want to keep Mustafa waiting any longer than he already had…

Apparently, however, Mustafa had taken notice of Neville’s hesitance, and he gently took hold of his chin, lifting his head up so he could look into his eyes. “What’s the matter?” He asked, frowning.

“Uh…” Neville laughed, nervously. “I… don’t have a lot of experience in this department, actually. Whoops.”

“Oh. That’s okay. You don’t _have_ to do it--”

“No, I want to,” he insisted. “I really do. I just wanted to let you know. Y’know, so you’re not let down when it isn’t that good.”

“Neville, you’re not gonna let me down. I know you won’t.” His smile was warmer now, and Neville felt more at ease. Mustafa wasn’t going to judge him. He _never_ would.

Neville trusted him.

He went back to focusing on the task at hand, wetting his lips with his tongue. Neville gave the head of his cock a lick, the gasp that he elicited from Mustafa telling him that he was doing the right thing. “There you go…” Mustafa encouraged him as he licked it again. “Just like that.”

Neville placed his hands on Mustafa’s thighs, taking a moment to prepare himself before he took the tip into his mouth. He rubbed his tongue along the underside when he heard Mustafa moan softly, desperate to hear that sound again, louder.

“Nev…” Mustafa groaned, hands raising to tangle in his own hair. Neville gripped his thighs, fingernails digging into the skin a little as he slowly took in more. “A-Are you sure you’ve never done this before?”

All Neville could do was hum in reply. He technically hadn’t said that he’d _never_ sucked someone’s dick before -- just that he was inexperienced. Those nights that he’d spent in Wade’s apartment felt like an eternity ago, despite it only being a few years, and he hadn’t been with anybody since. Even back then, he hardly had a clue what he was doing, and all he’d done was worry that he’d just disappoint whoever he got with next.

If Mustafa’s reactions were any indication, Neville was doing the exact _opposite_ of disappointing him.

Neville felt Mustafa’s cock hit the back of his throat, and he took in a deep breath through his nose, adjusting to the feeling before beginning to bob his head up and down. At last, Mustafa was making those loud noises that Neville wanted to hear, thrusting ever so slightly into his mouth as Neville worked to bring him closer to the edge. Neville was completely in the zone now, pushing any doubts he had about himself to the side as he centered all of his attention on making his partner feel good.

“A-Ah, Nev…” Mustafa said, Neville’s name sounding quite lovely coming from his lips in that moment. “I-I’m gonna cum soon, do you…?” He gasped again. “Do you wanna pull off…?”

Neville considered it for a moment, pulling his head back so that only the tip was in his mouth, tongue sliding over the slit and causing Mustafa to whimper. The logical side of him was saying that he probably should, otherwise he ran the risk of not being able to swallow everything and making a mess. He knew Mustafa wouldn’t judge him, but he didn’t want to make a _complete_ fool out of himself.

Then there was the side of him that just wanted to hear the sounds Mustafa made when he had an orgasm.

This was ultimately the one he listened to.

Mustafa was waiting for Neville to give his response, and he did -- by taking as much of him as he could into his mouth again. Mustafa threw back his head, a few more groans escaping him before he finally cried out Neville’s name, thrusting into his mouth one last time as he came. In hindsight, the logical side of Neville was right -- he had some trouble keeping all of his cum in his mouth, some of it dripping from his lips.

“Ugh…” Neville grumbled to himself as he hurriedly wiped it off of his chin, licking away whatever remained on his lips. He looked up to Mustafa, who was trying to compose himself, the only sounds filling the room being that of his heavy breathing and the howling winds of the storm outside.

After a minute or so, Mustafa looked to Neville, motioning for him to lie down next to him. Neville obliged, deciding to give Mustafa a shy kiss on his lips before settling in. “You… You are _not_ bad,” Mustafa said with an awed chuckle, putting his arm around him. “At all. There’s no way you haven’t done this before.”

“Well…” Neville shrugged. “Okay, maybe I have. A few times.”

“With who? Wait, don’t tell me it was with Wade…”

“How would you react if I told you that it was?”

“Weren’t you the one who said your relationship was nothing serious? My _word_ , Neville…” Mustafa put a hand on his chest as he teased him. “Just what did you two get up to before I came along?”

“Hey, I got lonely some nights! What do you want me to say?”

A beat of silence passed before Mustafa spoke again, gently running his fingers through Neville’s hair. “So… Okay, here’s the thing… I’m sorry if this is too personal of a question, but how far did you and Wade go?”

Neville’s brows scrunched together. It _was_ personal, but he didn’t see any harm in answering. “Well… We _did_ go all the way, I’ll admit.”

Mustafa seemed relieved at that. “Okay, good.”

“Why do you ask?”  
“...Alright, I’m just gonna come right out and say it.” Mustafa cleared his throat. “I was wondering if I could fuck you.”

Neville’s eyes widened at his boldness. “Oh?”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d ever done it before, so I was sort of afraid to ask.” He quickly added, “But hey, even though you _have_ done it before, don’t think you have to do it now. Whatever you wanna do is totally okay with me. No pressure.”

“Oh my God, Moose…” Neville couldn’t help but laugh at how flustered he was getting, and he leaned in to give him a kiss. “I want it.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t sure.” He stroked his cheek. “I want you to fuck me, Mustafa.”

A smile slowly formed on Mustafa’s face as he climbed on top of him. “Let me know if you need me to stop at any point, okay?” He murmured, bending down to kiss along Neville’s jawline.  

Neville gave a little nod of affirmation, and his eyes slid shut when he felt Mustafa beginning to suck on his neck -- a particularly sensitive area for him. Mustafa then started to bite down, not hard enough to leave a mark, but enough for Neville to gasp. “Hmm, you like when I do that?” Mustafa asked, taunting him, right before he moved over to the other side of Neville’s neck and bit down there as well.

“Y-Yeah…” Neville replied, putting his hands on Mustafa’s back and gently rubbing up and down.

“Hmm, you sound so sweet.” Mustafa moved down to Neville’s collarbones, eyes flitting up to Neville for a moment before he began to suck. This time was different — now, he was sucking harder, knowing that no one would be able to spot it, and in turn Neville was moaning. Mustafa pulled off, taking a moment to admire his handiwork. No one would know about this except for them -- it was their secret. He gave it a soft kiss before going lower.

“Beautiful…” Mustafa whispered as he kissed along Neville’s chest, tongue gliding over one of his nipples, making Neville shudder. “Just beautiful.”

“You’re really spoiling me with the compliments tonight, aren’t you?” Neville noted, face red. “Making my ego fat…”

All Mustafa did was shrug, smirking as he looked to Neville again. “It’s the truth. You know I don’t lie, my love.” With that, he continued to go even lower, pressing his lips to Neville’s stomach, speaking in-between kisses. “Everything… about you… is so amazing…”

Once he had made his way down to Neville’s groin, Neville’s hands moved to tangle themselves in Mustafa’s hair. He watched as Mustafa kissed along his thighs, which was yet another sensitive area. He spotted the all too familiar mischievous glint in his eyes and knew what was coming next, sure enough feeling Mustafa’s teeth sinking into his thigh a second later. Neville let out a shaky gasp, tugging hard on Mustafa’s hair without even realizing what he was doing.

The _sound_ that Mustafa made was enough to get both of them to freeze.

Neville blinked down at him almost in shock, while Mustafa wore a similar expression. A smile tugged at the corners of Neville’s lips. “Was that you?” He asked. “Did that sound really come out of _you_?”

Mustafa's face was bright red, and he buried his face in Neville’s thigh, the bit of facial hair that he had tickling him. “Maybe…”

“Good Lord, Moose, do you like getting your hair pulled?” This was _definitely_ something that Neville had to keep in mind for the future -- he never would’ve guessed that he was into this kind of stuff.

“I might…” Mustafa took a peek up at Neville, looking more playful than bashful now. “We’re learning all sorts of stuff about each other this evening, aren’t we? You now know that I’m into hair pulling, and… Well, now _I_ know that you’re into stuff like _this_.” As he said this, Mustafa suddenly bit down on Neville’s thigh again, harder than the first time, and made Neville shout.

“O-Okay, maybe you’re onto something there…” Neville was about to pull on Mustafa’s hair again when he worked his way out of his grasp, looking at him almost devilishly and licking his lips.

“Where else do you like being touched, I wonder…?” Mustafa’s eyes fell upon Neville’s straining underwear, which he was still wearing. Shrugging, he took the waistband between his teeth, tugging them down. “Hmm…”

“You’re a real tease, you know that?” Neville’s breath hitched when he felt one of Mustafa’s fingers tracing along his member.

“How can I _not_ tease you? You’re so fun to mess with.” He took hold of his length, running his thumb over the head and making Neville whine. “Especially when you keep making noises like _that_.”

This continued for awhile, Mustafa keeping the same pace as he touched and taunted him. Neville was trying so hard -- probably a little _too_ hard -- not to seem desperate, but he very much _was_. Mustafa had told him that he wanted to fuck him, but he was taking his sweet ass time getting to it. Neville loved the way that Mustafa was stroking him almost as much as he wished he would hurry up and do what he intended to do.

After what seemed like forever, Mustafa finally stopped, looking up to Neville again. “I think I’ve tortured you enough,” he said, nodding in the direction of his night table. “Can you get me the lube and a condom from that drawer?”

Neville couldn’t do it fast enough, almost dropping the damn things in his haste to give them to him. All Mustafa could do was laugh at his, shooting Neville a fond smile. “Someone’s excited,” he kissed Neville’s thigh before sitting up, opening the bottle up and squirting some of the lube onto his fingers. “Lemme just say this again, Nev -- if you need me to stop at any point, just tell me, okay? I don’t want to hurt you or make you uncomfortable.”

“Okay.” Neville breathed out as Mustafa moved his fingers down and positioned them at his entrance.

After ensuring that Neville was ready, Mustafa gently pushed one of his fingers inside, checking again to make sure that he wasn’t hurting him. “I’m a lot tougher than I look, Moose,” Neville replied, grunting softly as the finger went a little deeper. “You’re not hurting me. I swear.”

“Just make sure to tell me if I ever am,” he reiterated before pushing in a second finger.

“I will.”

Mustafa gave Neville time to adjust to the second finger, slowly starting to pump them in and out of him. He then inserted a third finger -- he looked as if he was once again about to ask if he was okay, but Neville beat him to it, wearing a faint smile. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“You know me too well, Nev.”

Neville was a bit disappointed when he felt Mustafa’s fingers leave him as he went to prep himself for what was next, and he watched as he slid the condom on. Everything felt oddly cold without those digits inside of him -- if this was how he felt now, how would he feel after Mustafa finished fucking him? _God, when did I get this needy?_

“Alright…” Mustafa started as he got back in-between Neville’s legs. “You already know what I’m gonna ask, don’t you?”

“Hmm, I have an idea.” Neville mused, winking at him. “I promise I’ll stop you if it gets to be too much.”

Mustafa gave a small nod at that, licking his lower lip. He placed his hands on Neville’s hips as he pushed the tip inside, drawing out a small groan from him. This reaction encouraged Mustafa to go in even deeper, holding Neville’s gaze the whole time. He was thicker than Neville thought he would be -- nothing that he couldn’t handle, but still not what he expected.

Once Mustafa was fully seated inside of him, they both took a moment to take a breath, Mustafa reaching down a hand and brushing some of Neville’s hair away. “I wanna see your pretty face while I’m doing this,” he said.

“Even now, you’re giving me these compliments? You’re--” Whatever Neville was planning on saying was lost when Mustafa suddenly began to move, and he groaned instead, hands finding themselves on his back again. Mustafa’s pace was slow, almost agonizingly so. “Y-You can go harder,” he said, surprising himself with his forwardness. “You won’t hurt me.”

Mustafa didn’t say anything in response, but he _did_ do as he was told, thrusts gradually quickening as he rocked into Neville. “You feel so amazing…” He finally said, giving Neville a smooch. Neville moaned into the kiss, his grip on him tightening with each thrust.

“Mustafa…” Neville whined, enunciating every syllable as he lost himself in how good Mustafa was making him feel. He felt so _right_ inside of him. Mustafa’s skill combined with the fact that it had been far too long since he’d last had sex were no doubt amplifying how he was feeling.

After one particularly deep thrust, Neville shouted out, fingernails digging into Mustafa’s back. Neville was about to apologize, as the yell he had let out seemed like it was in pain, though he reconsidered when he remembered Mustafa’s reaction to having his hair pulled. Did he just inadvertently discover yet _another_ thing he was into?

Neville didn’t have to question that any further, as a moment later he felt another equally deep thrust, as well as Mustafa groaning, “Do that again… _Please_ …” Without hesitation, Neville scratched at his back again, trailing his fingers up and down, though he was careful not to break the skin (he didn’t want to hurt him _too_ badly). “Yes, just like that… You’re so good…”

“Y-You’re a lot kinkier than I thought you were.” Neville was trying his best to tease him, to rile him up even further, though that was a little challenging considering the position he was in. It was tough for him to come across as antagonistic in any way when the person supposedly being antagonized was currently fucking him.

“Oh, _God_ , Mustafa… Please don’t stop…” Neville buried his face in Mustafa’s shoulder, Mustafa hitting that _one_ spot. He knew that he probably wasn’t going to last for much longer. “You’re gonna make me…”

“You gonna come for me, Nev?” Mustafa’s voice was gravelly, eyes half lidded as his pace quickened even further, showing that he was close as well. “I want to hear you. I want to hear what you sound like when you come so badly. And I wanna see the face you make…”

Neville held Mustafa’s gaze, biting his lip. Neville didn’t think it was possible for him to look even _more_ beautiful than he normally did, but that was the case. He looked so lovely when he was right on the brink of coming, the brown eyes that had drawn Neville to him in the first place now filled to the brim with pleasure. Neville wanted to burn this image into his mind -- he never wanted to forget it.

Though, he had a feeling that he would be seeing it many, _many_ more times in the future.

“A-Aah, _Mustafa_!” With one last cry, Neville’s eyes squeezed shut, and at last he came, fingernails once again scratching up and down his back. He kept his eyes shut once he had exhausted himself completely, only opening them up again when he heard Mustafa let out a final moan before he came as well.

Mustafa collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily, trembling a bit. Neville’s hands moved up to his hair, and he gave him an affectionate pat on the back of his head. “Oh my God…” Neville sighed, still in awe that that had even happened. The whole thing had been so spontaneous -- had it not been for the snowstorm that Neville had been practically cursing out earlier, none of this would have happened. In a way, he should be grateful.

After a minute or two, Mustafa lifted his head up, and he gave Neville a slow kiss. “I gotta ask one more time…” He said with a chuckle. “Are you okay?”

“I’m _more_ than okay, love,” Neville replied, connecting their foreheads. Mustafa pulled out of him, removing the condom and standing up.

“I’ll be back in a sec, okay? Wait here.”

“Mm.” Neville shut his eyes again, feeling incredibly wiped out. He felt like he could go to sleep right then and there, but there was a part of him that didn’t want to. Not until Mustafa had re-joined him.

Neville opened his eyes again when he felt a towel being rubbed on his torso, and he realized just how much of a mess he’d made when he came. He could see that there was still a little bit of his cum on Mustafa’s chest, and he blushed. “Oops.”

“What?” Mustafa laughed again. “Don’t be embarrassed. Trust me, I’ve seen messier.”

Neville narrowed his gaze at him. “Who on earth have you fucked in your time, Mustafa?”

“You don’t even wanna know.” Mustafa put the towel aside.

“I… kinda do, not gonna lie.” Neville shivered then, frowning. “Nn, I’m cold…” He whined, and Mustafa put his hands on his hips.

“You want me to loan you some of my clothes, don’t you?”

“You promised you would…”

“I did indeed.” Mustafa dug around in one of his dresser drawers, pulling out two sweatshirts and two pairs of sweatpants -- a set for both of them. “Heads up.”

“What--” Neville barely had time to react before one of each article of clothing was launched at his face. “Hey, come on! What’s this about?!”

“Sorry, couldn’t resist!”

“Jackass…” Neville tugged the sweatshirt over his head, standing up to put the pants on. “I hope those kids get to bed soon,” he pondered aloud. He had no idea what time it was, but he assumed that it was late. _Considering who’s watching them, they’ll probably be up the whole night…_

“You just had sex, and you’re thinking about your kids’ bedtime?” Mustafa was underneath the covers by the time Neville finished getting dressed. “You’re such a dad, you know that?”

“You’d be the same way if you were in my position, Moose,” Neville retorted as he climbed into bed next to him, cuddling close and putting his arms around him.

“Did you enjoy yourself tonight, Nev?” Mustafa asked, now sounding groggy.

“You could say that.” Neville kissed his forehead.

“So did I. You look really cute when you come, just so you know.”

“What am I supposed to do with that information?”

“Whatever you _want_ to do with it.” Mustafa pressed a kiss to Neville’s jaw before nuzzling his face into his chest. After that, the room went silent, and a few minutes later Neville heard him snoring softly. _He snores?_ Though he found it cute, Neville made a mental note to tease him about that in the morning.

As Neville closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep, he continued to think about Mustafa. This was the point that they’d reached in their relationship. Neville remembered how nervous he was on their first date, and how sure he was that there wouldn’t be a second one. Now, there they were, snuggled up to each other in Mustafa’s cozy bedroom after having sex for the first time. Neville didn’t think he would ever reach this point in a relationship with anyone after his divorce. The fact that this had even happened made him so… happy.

Neville wasn’t sure if he was fully ready to call what he felt for Mustafa ‘love’ yet.

But he knew that he was definitely something special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c :3c :3c :3c :3c :3c :3c


	12. Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter took me Such A Long Time to proofread but!! ultimately im Pwoud of it

Neville had initially thought that Wade getting together with Austin would be a good thing for him -- and it definitely was. Wade was notably happier as of late, and in general his life seemed to be improving, especially now that he had a partner by his side. (Of course, having a job for the first time in so long was definitely contributing to his mood, but it was clear that Austin had a more profound effect on him). Neville hadn’t seen Wade in such high spirits since they were both in college. It made him feel good seeing his best friend putting himself out there again.

There was one downside to the whole thing, though, as Neville learned one Friday afternoon -- Wade being in a relationship meant that his availability to babysit was greatly reduced.

“Since _when_ did the two of you have plans for today?” Neville asked, feeling only a _little_ panicked as he watched Wade put his jacket on.

“Uh, since two weeks ago?” Wade replied, as if it were obvious. “I’ve been telling you about today’s date for days.”

“I thought you said it was next week. Didn’t you?”

“No. No I did _not_. Have you been paying attention? Come on, Nev, keep up.”

“I-- Hm.” Neville wanted to argue back, but he knew that Wade was right -- he’d been mentioning the date here and there for some time now. Hell, he’d even brought it up during dinner the night before (though Neville was tired from a long day of work, so he hadn’t really been paying much attention to what he was saying). It made no sense for him to be fretting this much over something he already knew all about.

But of course, he _was_. Not only because it was more or less in his nature to be worrying all the time, but because Wade and Austin’s day out only made things even more complicated for him.

The problem was that Neville _also_ had something planned for that day -- he was supposed to go into the office and help out with a meeting (meaning that he would most likely be standing around in the corner the whole time bored out of his mind, which was about par for the course any time he was asked to lend the bigwigs a hand). Neville wanted to back out, and in a way he could since he had a legitimate excuse (Fridays _were_ his work-from-home days, after all) but he knew it wouldn’t look good. The last thing he wanted was to be on the receiving end of a lecture. Like it or not, he had to go.

This meant that he would need someone to watch the girls, who were still at school (and also needed to be picked up, now that that he thought about it), but without Wade he didn’t have anybody. He hadn’t thought to call a sitter at any point since his friend was always available, but today was different. He truly was in a tough spot.

“Can’t you just leave them by themselves?” Wade asked, leaning back against the wall. “I mean, Jen’s the big one-oh. I dunno if you knew that or not.”

“She’s only been going on about it for close to four months now.”

“I think she’s old enough to take care of herself and Daze for a few hours.”

“She _is_ , but…” Neville hesitated. “I don’t know, I don’t feel very comfortable doing that just yet. I’d rather wait until she’s a bit older to start leaving her in charge.”

“Aww, come on. I remember that _my_ parents let me stay home alone when I was her age, and look at how I turned out!”

“Yes, because you’re a _stellar_ role model.”

“Damn straight. And, since I’m so great, your children’ll end up just as amazing as me if they follow in my footsteps. I repeat, Jen’s capable of holding down the fort for a little while.”

“Wade, no offense, but if I raise my kids to be like you then we’re going to be in a world of trouble.” Neville crossed his arms. “If I’m being honest, I’m not sure I’ll ever be fully ready to accept that she’s actually _old enough_ for certain things. It just feels… _weird_ admitting that.”

“Aww, she’s always gonna be your li’l girl, huh?” Wade teased. “Just wait until she starts dating.”

“Oh, _Christ_ , don’t even bring that up… I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it.” Neville shook his head. “To get back on topic -- I’d rather not leave them here by themselves. And besides, how are they gonna get home from school? Neither of them have money for the bus, and it’s too far to walk.”

“Good point.” Wade scratched the back of his head. “God, I feel bad about leaving them… I mean, I can see if Austin is willing to reschedule.”

“No, no, don’t do that. You’ve been looking forward to today. I don’t wanna ruin your fun.” As inconvenient as it was, Neville hated interfering in plans that had been in the works for weeks. He wasn’t _that_ much of a killjoy.

Wade pursed his lips before suddenly snapping his fingers. “Wait, why don’t you ask Mustafa to take care of them?”

“Moose?”

“Yeah! He’s done it before, hasn’t he?”

“He has.”

“And didn’t you say something about him being off today because of a school event?”

“Yeah, he told me he’d be able to leave early.” Mustafa had been reminding him (see: gloating) about this fact for almost the entire week.

“So why not see if he can watch ‘em?”

“Well…” Neville had to admit that it was a good idea. Mustafa had made a promise to Neville that he would always help him when it came to Jen and Daisy, be it babysitting or otherwise. Since then he’d proven that he meant what he said -- on mornings when Neville had to leave earlier than usual, Mustafa would take the time to drop them off at school, and he would even drive them to friends’ houses every now and again. Neville was lucky to have him.

But… “I’m not so sure about that, to be honest,” he said.

“Why not?”

“I’ve already asked him to help me a few times this week. I’d feel weird asking him to do me _another_ favor. Don’t want him getting fed up or thinkin’ that I’m taking advantage of him. And it’s his day off, too. He’s not gonna be in any mood to leave the house.”

“You really think he’d get mad at you over this? That doesn’t sound like the Mustafa you’re constantly raving about. I think he would have told you by now if you were getting to be too much.”

“That’s true…”

“And this is something that you really need help with, too. You need a last minute babysitter, and he’s available. He said he’d lend you a hand when you needed it -- and, well, you need it. Simple as that. All you’re doing is taking him up on his offer. Nothing wrong with that.”

“This is also true.”

“I have a tendency to tell the truth a lot.”

Neville felt around in his pockets for his phone, pulling it out. “I guess I’ll try texting him and see what he says.”

“Trust me, he’ll say yes.”

 

 **Me:** Hey, what are you up to?

 

A few minutes passed, and Neville still hadn’t received a response. “Why’s it taking him so long to reply?” He huffed under his breath, checking the time. He still had about a half hour until he had to go, so it wasn’t like he was in any rush, but he would prefer not to be left hanging until the last minute.

“Neville, it’s been three minutes at most.” Wade rolled his eyes. “God, you really need to chill.”

“You know damn well that word isn’t in my vocabulary.” As Neville finished saying this, his phone went off.

 

 **Guy Who Likes Getting His Hair Pulled:** Well I WAS napping.

 **Guy Who Likes Getting His Hair Pulled:** Key word: was.

 **Guy Who Likes Getting His Hair Pulled:** >:(

 **Me:** Oops. Sorry about that, love.

 **Guy Who Likes Getting His Hair Pulled:** It’s fine, I’m only teasing you. ;) So, what’s up?

 **Me:** Are you by any chance able to watch the girls for me today? I gotta go into work for this dumb meeting, and Wade has a date, so I’ve got no one to pick them up from school or keep an eye on them afterwards.

 

Neville didn’t receive a reply to his last message, and he chewed his lower lip. Over ten minutes had already passed -- maybe he really _was_ bugging him.

“Has he said anything yet?” Wade asked, looking over Neville’s shoulder at their conversation. Neville shook his head, and he decided to send off another text.

 

 **Me:** I’m really sorry to ask you for another favor. It’s okay if you don’t

 

That was as far as Neville got before both he and Wade heard a knock on the door. Raising an eyebrow, Neville went and opened it, finding Mustafa standing on his front porch. “What are you--”

“I _absolutely_ can do that.” Mustafa interrupted him before he could inquire any further. He was panting, like he’d rushed over. Neville was about to tease him for being in such a hurry only to get right next door, but he was too preoccupied thinking about something else -- Mustafa had agreed to help him.

“Oh, thank _God_ ,” Neville breathed a sigh of relief, throwing his arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. “Thanks so much, Moose.”

“Hold on a minute,” Wade said. “I don’t mean to interrupt this tender moment, but I’ve got a few questions?”

Pulling back, Mustafa asked, “What?”

“First of all, why are you so out of breath? Did you really have to run all the way over here when you could’ve just responded to the text?”

“Uh...”

“And doesn’t it make more sense to come over here _after_ you’ve already picked the kids up? What are you doing here _now_?” Wade rubbed his temples. “My head hurts.”

“Well, Wade,” Mustafa started. “If you _must_ know, I came early because I needed to do this.” After saying that, Mustafa leaned in and planted a kiss on Neville’s lips, which Neville eagerly responded to. Neville could hear the unmistakable sound of Wade smacking his forehead coming from behind him, followed by a sigh.

After pulling apart, Mustafa said, “It’s been _way_ too long since I had a chance to do that.” He gave Neville a little pat on the cheek. “I’ll catch you later.”

After parting ways, Neville shut the door, facing Wade again. “What’s with you?” He asked.

“Neville, I want you to be honest with me for a second. You realize that you and Mustafa have totally become _that_ couple, right?”

“What?!”

“God, six months ago I didn’t think that was the kinda shit I’d be exposed to. If only I could go back in time…”

“You’re so full of it. We have not!”

They have.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, the meeting was about as boring as Neville expected it to be.

He hadn’t been paying attention at all to what was being said -- something something budget, something something sales. They hyped up this meeting as being this huge deal, with Neville’s attendance being absolutely mandatory, but it was clear that this was out of his realm of expertise. If anything, he was there to be a warm body in a swivel chair -- one that had been left empty because one of the executives had mysteriously ‘called out sick’ on one of the nicest spring days of the year. _Yep, this place sucks._

At one point he had been able to go to the bathroom, where he saw that he had a text from Mustafa -- it was a selfie of him in the car, both Jen and Daisy smiling happily in the backseat behind him. A cute image such as this was the only thing that had been able to make him smile in the last few hours, and he didn’t waste any time in saving it and setting it as his phone background. His happiness was short lived, however, once he remembered that he couldn’t stay in there forever. After shoving his phone away, Neville dragged himself back to the conference room, fully prepared to daydream away the next few hours.

He couldn’t get out of there fast enough once the day was over, hurrying through the parking lot over to his car. He was so grateful that it was finally the weekend and that he didn’t have to return until the following week -- hopefully with no more pointless meetings taking away his work-from-home day. It was the only day when he actually enjoyed working, primarily due to being on his own couch and away from obnoxious co-workers.

And of course, being dragged out to the office for the fifth day that week also means that Neville would be stuck in rush hour traffic for the fifth time. Interestingly enough, he recognized the van in front of him -- it was the same one he’d seen months ago with the stick figure family on the back. He noticed that there was a little baby figure at the end of it. _Congrats, I guess._ Happy as he may be for these complete strangers, that didn’t make him think that the stickers were any less tacky.

He found himself taking a closer look at the surrounding area, taking quick glances at some of the shops he was (very slowly) passing. None of them were particularly interesting, though one in the distance caught his eye. It was one of those 24 hour convenience stores. Neville passed by many of them during his trips to and from work, and he never paid much attention to them. Every one of them looked the same, in his opinion.

He felt differently about this one, however. It was a Friday evening, and everyone would be home for the next few days because of it being the weekend. Certainly there wouldn’t be anything wrong with stopping inside of this store and getting some candy for the kids, would there? The school week being over plus Neville’s abysmal work day coming to an end deserved to be celebrated. While there was a part of him that felt like he’d regret doing so, what with his paternal instincts telling him that the two of them would _definitely_ spoil their appetites, he also felt that he would regret it if he _didn’t_. He loved seeing his children happy, and candy was an easy way to get them in a good mood.

 _...Why the fuck not?_ With a shrug, Neville switched on his turn signal, prepping to turn into the store’s lot.

* * *

“Here’s to hoping that Moose isn’t pissed at me for coming home late…” Neville muttered under his breath as he pulled into the driveway of his house. Mustafa had been under the impression that he would watch them until after the meeting, and needless to say it was well past that time -- Neville had spent just a little bit too long inside of the convenience store debating which candy would cause the least amounts of fighting. (If it was a #1 favorite for both girls, there would be a brawl over the last piece. Neville was all too familiar with ridiculous arguments over food.)

Neville grabbed the plastic bag with the candy from the passenger’s seat and climbed out of the car, hurrying up to the front step and stepping inside. Immediately he was greeted with the sound of Jen complaining about something, and he let out a little sigh, making a mental note to apologize to Mustafa for her behavior.

“This isn’t fair!” As he approached the living room and took a peek inside, he saw that her and Mustafa were playing video games -- Mario Kart. A very excited Daisy sitting next to him and watching intently, bouncing up and down in her seat. Neville saw that they were on the final lap, and he _also_ saw that Mustafa had just sped ahead of her. _I’d be mad too if fucking_ **_Toad_ ** _just zoomed past me._ Amused, he leaned against the doorframe, not bothering to announce his presence as he watched the rest of the race.

And then, one appropriately timed banana peel later, Mustafa crossed the finish line.

“Daddy, you won!!” Daisy yelled excitedly, Jen dramatically falling on the floor as a result of her brutal defeat.

Neville was confused, seeing as he hadn’t done anything to deserve such praise, and he was about to speak up to ask what she meant when he realized.

She’d been talking to Mustafa.

She leaped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly as her way of congratulating him. There was a look in his eyes that Neville recognized as as combination of shock and happiness.

And, if he had to wager a guess, the happiness wasn’t because of him winning.

“Uh, hello?” Neville finally spoke up, clearing his throat. “Don’t mean to interrupt.”

“Oh, hi daddy!” Daisy let go of Mustafa and ran over to give Neville a hug, Jen opting to raise her hand in acknowledgement while still very much on the floor. “Jen lost!”

“I can see that,” he chuckled. “You good down there, kid?”

At Jen’s grunt, Mustafa said, “She told me on the ride home about how she was the champ at Mario Kart. I had to see that for myself to believe it.”

“Fluke!!” Jen yelled, muffled by the carpet. She suddenly climbed to her feet, making to storm out of the room. “He cheated!”

The three of them watched her go, with Daisy following along after her singing a little tune about how her sister lost. “Hey, be nice, Daze,” Neville commented. He sighed when he heard the door their room slam shut, looking to Mustafa again. “I’m… sorry about that. She gets being a sore loser from me, I suppose.”

“You? A sore loser?” Mustafa stood up, crossing the room and kissing Neville’s cheek. “I find that very difficult to believe.”

Mustafa started to tell Neville about the day they had had, but he was too busy thinking about Daisy’s little comment to pay much attention. Mustafa didn’t seem to mind what she said on the surface, but what did he _really_ think? The two of them had only been together for around six months or so -- Neville hadn’t even thought to ask him how he felt with regards to that subject. He assumed that Mustafa was okay with potentially being their father, seeing as he _was_ dating Neville and was fine with watching them, but did he ever see himself raising them?

That was the question that Neville was sure would bother him for weeks.

“Hey,” Mustafa said, snapping Neville from his thoughts. “So I was thinking -- I wanna make dinner for you guys tonight.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that…” Neville tried to protest, but Mustafa waved his hand.

“I want to. You had a rough day and don’t seem to be in any mood to cook, and I wanna treat you guys.”

“How do you know I’m not in the mood?”

Mustafa pursed his lips, raising an eyebrow. “Neville, I know you. You are clearly _not_ in any mood to do any work in the kitchen.”

“...Maybe you’re right.” When he admitted this, Mustafa laughed, kissing him. “Alright, go ahead. Surprise me with what you make.”

“You can go fetch Ms. Grumpy Pants from upstairs, and I’ll get started.” Just as Mustafa began to walk towards the kitchen, he stopped, looking to Neville again. “And maybe once we’re done we can play another round of Mario Kart. If I can beat one of your kids, surely I can beat _you_ too, hm?”

“We’ll see about that.” With that, Neville watched him walk away, the question that he asked himself earlier predictably haunting him.

After all this time, did he _really_ find someone who he wanted to raise his children with?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c


	13. Ducks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only a few more chapters left to go!! god that was fast

As April rolled around, Neville was reminded of the phrase ‘April showers bring May flowers.’

_ Well, considering the sheer amount of rain we’re getting, we’re gonna get a shitload of flowers come next month _ .

“Damn, it’s coming down in buckets. Better starting building the ark,” Wade noted as he watched the rain fall, forehead pressed against the glass of the window. “Because I’m pretty sure we’re gonna need it soon.”

“That’s a terrible idea,” Neville replied, typing an e-mail and not looking up from his laptop screen. “You know damn well I’m throwing your ass overboard the first chance I get.”

“Oh, you wanna see me wet?”

“Do I have to remind you that I’m not a single man anymore, Wade? Take a look out the window in the hallway, since you’re so big on looking outside all of a sudden. You’ll see the home of the person I’m currently with.”

“Do you think  _ he _ wants to see me wet?” This comment was able to get Neville to look up, and he peered at Wade from over his glasses, frowning.

“I’ll make a note to ask him that the next time we’re together.” He remembered how Mustafa was asking about Wade on their very first date -- knowing him, he probably  _ would _ want to see him soaking wet.  _ Summertime around here should be interesting _ .

Neville sent the e-mail and put his laptop down on the coffee table, sighing as he checked the time. He technically should be able to take his lunch break right about now, but knowing his luck some ‘important’ message from his boss could come through at any moment, and he’d miss his chance to have an hour to relax. This had happened far too many times for Neville’s liking, especially lately -- when did they get so damn busy?

He felt Wade sit down on the couch next to him. “Why don’t you just take a break?” He heard him ask. “I can tell you want to.”

“Meh, I dunno if I should risk it.” Neville clicked his tongue. “Someone might need me for something. Don’t wanna keep ‘em waiting if it’s important.”

“Are you  _ ever _ asked to do anything important? Be honest with me.”

“Of course I am. Just… not really all that often. That doesn’t mean I can start slacking off, though.”

“It’s not slacking off if you’re taking the break you’re entitled to.” Wade looked like he wanted to say a little more, but Neville’s phone went off, interrupting him.

“That’s probably Moose,” Neville said as he grabbed it off of the table, ignoring Wade’s “It’s  _ always _ Moose...” and reading the message. Sure enough, it was Mustafa confirming their date for the following day -- a walk in the park. Neville had been dying to take one ever since the weather started to get warmer, and they scheduled some time together on the one day it was actually supposed to be decent.

“You know they’re saying it’s gonna rain tomorrow, right?” Neville noticed then that Wade -- now apparently in the mood to burst his bubble -- had been reading Mustafa’s message over his shoulder, and he turned the screen off, scowling at him. “Just sayin’.”

“I’m aware. That’s not until later in the day, though,” he pointed out. “And it’s only supposed to be a ten percent chance, anyway.”

“Is it? Because I thought I read it was a greater chance than that.”

“You probably misread it. I’m absolutely positive the chances were fairly slim. I heard it on the news just this morning.”

“If you say so… Still, you should probably bring an umbrella just in case.”

Neville scoffed. “What, and carry it all around the park with me just because you had a hunch? Come on, Wade, the forecasters have been saying that it should be a lovely day for the whole week now. We’ll be fine.”

* * *

Neville’s comment about how everything would be fine was ringing in his ears as he and Mustafa were suddenly caught in a downpour of rain right in the middle of their walk.

“Why is it that the one time I refuse to listen to Wade, he’s actually right?” Neville grumbled, wrapping his arms around himself and shivering as the air grew cooler. The sun was out only a few moments ago -- how had everything changed so quickly?

He heard the sound of an umbrella opening, and he looked up to see that the one Mustafa had brought (that Neville initially teased him for bringing) was over his head. “What was that about me being silly for bringing this along with me, again?” Mustafa asked. Neville didn’t respond, instead opting to pout and look out to the lake. “Hmm?”

“I was wrong…” He muttered, a moment later feeling Mustafa’s lips on his cheek.

“Yes, you were.” He took Neville’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Let’s not stick around here. We’ve got a bit of a distance to go until we reach the car.”

“Wish our date didn’t get cut short…”

“Who said anything about it being over? We’re still together. Not like we’re gonna melt or anything.”

Neville didn’t protest any further, and he walked side by side with Mustafa, sticking close and trying not to get wet. As much as he disliked the rain, he had to admit that there was something incredibly peaceful about this whole scene. Anyone else who had been there had fled, leaving only the two of them. Mustafa was also warm, his hand soft, the chilly temperature that came along with the weather becoming a complete non-issue. If anything, this sudden storm made everything  _ better _ .

That is, until it started coming down even harder, to the point where they couldn’t even stand to be out in it. Mustafa’s umbrella was proving to be inadequate protection, and they chose to take shelter under a nearby gazebo until the rain stopped. “Ugh, this seat’s all wet…” Neville huffed, feeling the chair.

“Come sit next to me, these aren’t too bad.” Mustafa patted the one next to him, and Neville hesitantly sat down, sure enough feeling the seat of his pants get wet. It could have been a lot worse, though, so Neville kept any complaints to himself.

“I swear I read that it wasn’t supposed to be like this until later,” he chose to say instead. “I can probably find the report on my phone if you need me to -- I am  _ not _ lying when I say that they predicted it would be sunny.”

“Hey, I never said I didn’t believe you.” Mustafa put an arm around his shoulders. “Just that a ten percent chance is still a ten percent chance. You never know when something like this could happen.”

“Hmm…” In the distance, Neville could make out another couple running to find some form of shelter, and he cracked a smile. As much as he teased Mustafa for being prepared for this weather, he was grateful that he didn’t end up like those two.

“Duck.”

“What?” Nothing needed to be dodged -- what was Mustafa talking about?

“Duckie.” He pointed towards the lake, and Neville followed his gaze to find a mother duck along with some ducklings -- four of them. They were making their way across the wet grass, not a care in the world, clearly unbothered by this downpour.

“God, I wish the girls were here to see this,” Neville said as he took out his phone, taking a picture of this little family. “They love ducks.” Not too far away, Neville spotted another duck, this one a little bit bigger than the mother, standing not too far off, watching the others go by and enter and the lake one by one.

“Look at that one back there.” Mustafa had apparently noticed this bigger duck as well. This duck had now shifted its gaze from the other ducks to Neville, and it stared him down, making him feel slightly nervous.

“It’s giving me an evil look…” Neville shuddered, though he stared right back at it, wanting to assert dominance. This was a matter of pride now -- he was  _ not _ about to lose to a bird in a staring contest.

“I wonder if that’s the daddy. He probably wants to protect the li’l ones.”

Mustafa’s words triggered a memory in Neville’s mind, and his eyebrows raised when he recalled what had happened only a few weeks prior -- Daisy referring to Mustafa as her daddy.

Neville had been meaning to ask Mustafa for his thoughts on it since it had happened, but he was never able to find an appropriate opportunity. Part of him wondered if it was worth it to mention it again, seeing as Mustafa hadn’t even said anything about it on the day that it happened, but he still felt like it was important to talk about. It wasn’t as if she’d just referred to him as a cute new nickname -- she had legitimately referred to another man as her father.

Does Mustafa ever seriously see himself in that role?

For the sake of their potential future together, Neville needed to find out.

“If that  _ is _ the dad, he’s got a  _ lot _ of little mouths to feed,” Mustafa continued, still staring at the duck family while Neville took a moment to figure out the words he was going to use.

Finally, he made up his mind. “Uh… Hey…” Neville cleared his throat. “Seeing that daddy duck kinda reminded me of something…”

“What’s that?”

Neville attempted to speak, but the daddy duck quacked loudly, interrupting him. Neville glowered as he realized that he’d technically lost the staring contest, but by the time he looked back at the duck it had already started swimming in the lake. The rematch would have to take place another day.

“Did seeing that duck remind you that you’re terrible at staring contests or something?”

“What? No.” Neville shook his head. After a beat, he asked, “Do you remember what happened the last time you picked the kids up and watched them for me? When you were playing video games together.”

“Oh, of course I do.” Mustafa looked almost a little cocky. “How could I forget beating both Jen  _ and _ you in the same night?”

“ _ That _ isn’t the part I was hoping you’d remember…” Neville pouted. 

“If you want a rematch, all you gotta do is ask,  _ Luigi _ .”

“I will, one of these days. And when that happens, I  _ will _ beat you. And fuckin’ Toad, too.”

At that, Mustafa gasped. “Neville! The baby ducks!”

“What? What about them?” Neville turned around and looked towards the lake, but the ducklings were just swimming happily, not in any kind of danger. Neville looked back at Mustafa and shot him a confused look.

“Your language… It’s  _ disgraceful _ … Think of the children next time.”

“I’m about ten seconds away from running out into the rain and leaving your ass here.”

Now that they’d gotten that out of the way, Neville decided that it was time to get back on topic, saying, “I was talking about what happened after you beat Jen. When Daisy called you ‘daddy’.”

Mustafa’s expression changed to one that was a little difficult to read. He didn’t look bothered by the subject at all, but he also didn’t seem to expect it. “Right, that,” he replied, tongue gliding over his lower lip. “I was wondering if you’d heard that or not.”

“I did. I’d actually just gotten home when she said it.” He paused. “I wanted to know what you thought about the whole thing.”

“Well…” He shrugged. “I definitely didn’t think she’d say that. Especially since you and I have only been together for seven months. Damn, can you believe it’s been that long already? It went so fast. It feels like I’ve known you for ages.”

“Same here. I honestly can’t even remember what my life was like before you moved in. Definitely very boring. You always keep me on my toes.”

“Never know what to expect with me.” He booped Neville’s nose.

“I dunno if that’s a good thing or not.” After a beat, Neville said, “If you don’t have an answer right now, then that’s okay, but I gotta know ... _ Do you  _ see yourself as being her father? And Jen’s, too.”

Mustafa clicked his tongue, folding his hands together and looking down at them. He was silent for a moment before he finally said, “I mean… I’m not entirely sure. Again, it hasn’t even been a year since we got together. I’m still kinda in shock that one of your kids sees me as being her parent after such a short amount of time.”

“If you’ll allow me to speculate for a bit, I think Daisy might miss having another parental figure in her life,” Neville theorized. “Like, she doesn’t have any many memories of her as Jen does, but she definitely remembers what it was like having a mother. I think she misses having a second person that she could see as a parent.” He put his hand over Mustafa’s. “And I think she’s starting to look at you that way.”

“Wow, I’m…” Mustafa laughed softly. “I’m honored.”

“So, let me put it this way -- do you even want kids, period?”

“I… yeah, I do,” he admitted with a small smile. “When I was younger I didn’t think I’d be dad material, but… the older I got, the more I thought about it. And ever since I got this teaching job, I’ve been thinking about becoming a dad a lot more often. It’s something I definitely want, even though I know it’s a  _ lot _ of work dealing with young kids.”

“Oh, yeah…” Neville heaved a sigh. Jen and Daisy were handfuls when they were small. “But my girls are good kids. They’re no trouble.”

“No, not at all. That’s why I like watching them so much -- I feel like if I were to ever have kids of my own, I’d want them to be around their ages.” Mustafa propped his head up with his hand, resting his elbow on the table. “Uh, by any chance, was it the same for you? Like, did  _ you _ always want kids?”

“I did, but mostly because of my parents. As a kid, they always kinda drilled this mindset into me for how my life was supposed to be. Go to college, find a girl, graduate, get married, have kids… I felt like that’s how my life had to turn out, so I knew I was going to become a dad eventually.” He looked out to the rain again. Now that he thought about it, this mindset was responsible for him getting married so soon after college -- before he’d really had a chance to look into his sexuality. “And, well, now I’m a dad. And I’ve been one for ten years.”

“And you’re a great one, at that.” Mustafa gave him a little nudge. “Your girls are lucky to have you.”

“Heh, I try.”

They listened to the sound of the rain tapping against the roof of the gazebo for a couple of minutes. Neville was processing everything that Mustafa had told him. He  _ did _ want to be a dad, and he was unbothered by Daisy referring to him as such. The only question that hadn’t been answered was the one he initially asked -- if he considers himself to actually be her and Jen’s father. Had it gone unanswered because Mustafa genuinely didn’t have a response, or because he wasn’t comfortable with answering it?

Neville didn’t have to wonder for much longer, however, as Mustafa answered his question. “About the thing you asked me earlier,” he began, snapping Neville out of his thoughts, “I know they’re not my kids, but in a way I do sorta see them like that.”

“Do you?” Neville couldn’t help but smile at that.

“And I know that technically if we, y’know…” He smiled back at him. “...ever get married, I won’t be their  _ real _ father. But that won’t stop me from raising them as if they were my own children.”

Neville’s smile grew even wider, and he wrapped his arms around Mustafa, saying, “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that,” before pulling him in for a kiss. He had been so worried that this conversation would end on a poor note -- he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

This tender moment was then interrupted by a loud crack of thunder, and they both jumped back, eyes wide. “I…  _ think  _ we should probably get out of here,” Mustafa suggested with a nervous laugh.

“And go out into a damn thunderstorm?” Though Neville acted like he thought the idea was ridiculous, he continued with, “I think we should too. Before this gets any worse. I don’t want to get stranded out here with you -- no offense.”

“I have never in my life been more offended.”

With that, Mustafa opened the umbrella back up, the two of them charging back into the rain and hustling towards where the car was parked. “Don’t run so fast, you’re leaving me behind!!” Neville yelled over the sound of the storm that was now pelting him. Since when was Mustafa able to run like that?!

Despite the fact that Neville was now even wetter than he was before, however, he couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed. As a matter of fact, he was actually excited -- excited that he’d found someone like Mustafa in the first place. Excited for his children who finally had another parent of sorts in their lives.

Excited for whatever their future held. ( _ Hopefully not any more rainy park walks. _ _)_


	14. Bears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 14 -- featuring the debut of austin because im TELLING YOU wade/austin is a good damn shIP

As Neville had learned over the years, the annual family vacation was always a chore, mainly because no one could ever agree on where they wanted to go. Jen wanted to go to Paris (“You got money to buy plane tickets?”), Daisy wanted a road trip across the country (“Only if you promise not to ask ‘Are we there yet?’ every ten seconds.”), and Wade mostly just wanted to stay home and sleep (“And you get annoyed when I call you Wade ‘Lazyass’ Barrett.”)

This year, however, Wade was singing a very different tune with regards to how he planned on spending the summer.

“So you’re telling me that Austin has this cabin?” Neville asked one night as the two of them relaxed in Wade’s basement apartment, taking a slow sip of his drink. “Somewhere in the mountains?”

“That’s what he told me. Apparently it used to be his grandparents’ or something.” Wade was switching from channel to channel, eventually settling on some random paranormal show. Neville tried not to look too interested (it was a guilty pleasure interest of his, though he didn’t want Wade to know that). “It’s got quite a bit of room in it. He says he wants to take me there sometime.”

“Hmm.” Neville started to think (all while ‘coincidentally’ staring at the television screen). He didn’t want to invite himself to someone else’s property, but there was a part of him that was tempted to ask if they could have their vacation there. If it had a good amount of room and could house the whole group (including Mustafa, assuming he was able to come), then it might not be a bad idea.

“What’re you thinkin’ about?”

“Well…” Neville pursed his lips. “Y’know what, forget it. I don’t wanna intrude on you guys’ private time.”

“What, you and Moose wanna come? That’s fine! Leave the girls with a sitter or someone, the four of us could spend some  _ quality _ time together, y’knowwhatI’msayin’?” At that, Wade nudged him with his elbow, and Neville gave him a shove.

“I’m not travelling up to the mountains to have a foursome, Wade.”

“What-- So then why even bother  _ going _ ?!”

Neville couldn’t believe how incredulous he sounded. “Most people don’t go on mountain trips with the intent to fuck all their friends.” He rolled his eyes, ignoring Wade’s “Because most people are cowards…” that followed his response. “I was hoping, if Moose and I are even invited, I could bring the kids too. Make that our yearly vacation.”

“I can’t see why he’d mind. He’s been dying to meet you. I’m sure he’d like to meet your children, too.” He leaned in closer, smirking. “And the man you  _ looooove _ …”

Neville’s face went red, and he looked back to the television, taking a big gulp of his drink. “U-Uh…”

“What? You okay?”

“I’m fine, I just didn’t expect you to say that, that’s all… You caught me off guard.”

“I’m not being all that serious. Don’t couples casually say that they love each other all the time? It’s no big deal.”

“Um… Yeah, let’s go with that!” Neville forced a smile, staring down into his cup.

Wade took notice of his odd behavior, and he cocked his head to the side. “Okay, tell me what’s going on,” he said with a sigh.

“What? There’s nothing going on.”

“You’re acting like  _ that _ again,” Wade pointed out. “I can tell when you’re worrying about something, especially when it’s Mustafa related. Go on, tell me what’s bugging you.”

Neville blinked at him, but he resigned quickly, desperate to get what he was thinking about off of his chest. “Well… I’ll be totally honest, I’ve been thinking a  _ lot _ lately about if what I feel for Mustafa is actually love.”

“Does it  _ feel _ like it could be love?”

“I… think it does?” He scratched the back of his head. “We… had this conversation about a month or so ago about whether or not he sees himself as being Jen and Daze’s father, and he said that he did. And, well… he  _ might _ have made a brief reference to marrying me that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since.”

“For real?” Wade’s tone was softer now, and it sounded like he was genuinely happy to hear Neville say that. “God, you’re so head-over-heels for him, it’s unreal. How can you still be doubting if you love him if  _ this _ is how you’re getting after the mere  _ mention _ of marrying each other?”

“I’m so unsure because we still haven’t actually said ‘I love you’ yet. Not even after such a serious conversation…” Neville figured that, since a conversation like that involved their long-term future together, and since it had gone so well, at least  _ one of them _ would have been able to work up the nerve and finally say those three words. 

And yet, it hadn’t happened.

Something about that bothered Neville far more than it probably should have.

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t actually feel that way. One of you just has to say it.”

“It’s not that easy! I gotta do it at the right time, I gotta practice what I’m gonna say beforehand because you and I  _ both _ know that I’m gonna stutter if I don’t, I gotta do it when I’m least likely to be interrupted--”

“Hey, how about this,” Wade interrupted, putting an arm around Neville’s shoulders. “I’ll talk to Austin about all of us going to his cabin over the summer. You bring Moose along with us, and you can tell him while we’re there. Nothing says ‘romance’ like professing your love in the middle of the woods miles away from civilization.”

“You have a very interesting definition of romance, you know that?”

“Damn right.”

“And this isn’t gonna end up like the time you wanted me to kiss him, is it?” Neville was wary. “I remember you making those weird faces at me during dinner.”

“Nev, let’s be real -- if Austin is near me, I will  _ not _ be paying attention to what you two get up to. All I can do is hope that you’ll do what you’re  _ supposed _ to be doing. That, of course, being that you’ll tell Moose you love him.”

Neville knew that Wade’s schemes were more trouble than they were worth, but this one wasn’t the worst he’d heard. He envisioned him and Mustafa awake one night, perhaps sitting by a fire pit, enjoying the night air. Such a romantic moment would surely be the perfect time to finally tell Mustafa about how deep his feelings for him were.

“Alright, Wade, you’ve got me,” Neville replied. “I’m in.”

“ _ That’s  _ what I like to hear.” Wade reached for his phone. “I’ll text Austin and ask him what he thinks. I get the feeling that this is going to be a  _ very _ interesting vacation.”

“I don’t doubt that at all…”

* * *

The few hours that it took to drive up to where the cabin was would have been a lot more bearable had Daisy not been asking “Are we there yet?” every few minutes (though Neville had fully expected this, so he couldn’t act like he was surprised), but in the end they still made it. It was bigger than Neville thought it would be, with two floors, and even a back deck.  _ I can see why Austin would want to bring Wade up here _ . Neville mused to himself when he realized that there was also a hot tub.  _ I’m sure they’d be spending  _ **_lots_ ** _ of time in there if it were only the two of them _ . (He tried to ignore the look Wade gave him when Mustafa said something about wanting to go in it one night.)

Neville was admittedly a little off-put by the sheer amount of woods surrounding the cabin, but this was yet another thing that he expected, so he had no right to complain. Still, though, he and the rest of his family were farther away from civilization than he would like them to be.

Austin had warned him against worrying, however, saying that there was “nothing to be afraid of, kid.”

“Is there anything even  _ in _ those woods? Chipmunks? Bunnies? Sasquatch?” Neville responded, not taking his eyes off of the trees.

“Yes, yes, and maybe. And, well, bears.” At this, Neville’s eyes widened, and Austin gave him a pat on the shoulder, shooting him a big grin. “But hey, they’re just like big raccoons. They won’t bug you if you don’t bug them.”

“But what if one of us runs into one? What do we do  _ then _ ?”

“Mind your own business, that’s what.” And with one last wink from Austin, their conversation ended, and Neville had made a mental note to have a talk with the girls about not wandering into the dense brush without adult supervision (though he wasn’t entirely sure if any of the adults on this vacation were adequately prepared to deal with wild bears, least of all the pipsqueak that owned the property).

There were three bedrooms in the cabin, each with only one bed in it -- which was a problem to no one except for Jen, who was complaining about having to share a bed with her sister (“She  _ snores _ , daddy!” She had said, a statement Neville admittedly doubted). After being informed that her only other option was the couch, her tune changed, and she was suddenly on board with sharing.  _ Let’s hope Daze doesn’t actually snore. For her sake. _

“So, what’s on the agenda for the next couple of days?” Mustafa asked Neville that evening following dinner once the two of them had returned to their bedroom, plopping down on the bed. “Other than avoiding bears, of course,” he added with a playful grin.

“Hey, don’t act like I was  _ wrong _ in bringing that up,” Neville responded, sitting at the edge of the bed. “Last thing I need is for someone to go wandering off. Six people came to this cabin, and six people are gonna  _ leave _ this cabin at the end of the week. No less. Or more, for that matter.”

“Damn, there go my plans of sneaking a bear into the trunk. Now I gotta think of a new birthday gift idea for you.”

“Very funny.”

“Look, I get why you’re worried, but I really think you can trust what Austin says about bears not being a real threat. We just can’t go out after dark.”

“You say this now, but I know you’ll get scared if you come across one.”

“That depends, am I alone?”

“That’s up to you.”

“Well, if I’m  _ alone _ , the I’d definitely be freaked out. But if  _ you’re _ with me…” Mustafa’s hand snaked over to Neville’s, and he smirked and added, “Well, I’ll just push you towards the bear and make a run for it.”

Before Neville could say anything more, he heard the sound of Daisy squealing, as well as some giggling coming from the room next door. “Oh, God, are they jumping on the bed?” The next sound they both heard was that of a thump -- which meant that one of them had probably fallen off the bed -- followed by even more laughter. “Oh yeah, they definitely are.”

“You can’t let them have  _ any _ fun, can you?” Mustafa chuckled as Neville knocked on the wall, hoping that his message came across clearly through that.

“How fun can it really be if they’re crashing to the floor? Nothing against Austin, but I don’t think Mr. Mountain Man is adequately prepared to deal with either one of those kids when they’re injured.” Neville barely was, and he was their own father.

“About what you said before, though,” Neville continued, “I think Austin mentioned something about heading into a nearby town tomorrow and getting some supplies that we’ll need for the next few days. We can look around and see what other stuff is in the area.” Knowing his daughters, they were going to want to check out every local attraction and gift shop. And he  _ also _ knew that his wallet would be begging for mercy by the end of the trip.

“I was doing some research the other night, and I saw that there’s this zoo not too far away. Maybe one day we can go there?”

“That’s a possibility.”

“Oh, and I was also thinking…”

While Neville  _ wanted  _ to pay attention to the other suggestions Mustafa had for activities, he was primarily thinking about one of his main goals for that week -- to find a moment to finally tell Mustafa that he loved him. That played a big part in why he even agreed to go to this cabin in the first place. He needed to pick an appropriate time -- not tonight, but maybe tomorrow? Maybe if they found themselves alone in that hot tub, like Mustafa had suggested earlier…

“Nev?”

“Hmm?” All thoughts of a wet Mustafa were (unfortunately) driven from Neville’s mind when he spoke.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Of course I am!” He scoffed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Mustafa didn’t seem convinced by this. “What did I  _ just _ say?”

Neville pursed his lips. “‘Are you listening to me?’”

This prompted Mustafa to give him a light smack on the arm, and he rolled his eyes. “Smartass.”

“Only for you.”

* * *

Neville had told himself to expect the unexpected when it came to this trip. As such, he wasn’t surprised by Daisy’s whining during the ride to the mountains, nor was he  _ too _ surprised by how deep in the woods the cabin was.

And yet,  _ somehow _ he was surprised by how difficult it was to find a moment alone with Mustafa.

As planned, on their first day they went into the local town and browsed the stores. Neville knew that he wasn’t going to get a chance to tell Mustafa anything important during this trip, especially since Mustafa was far too preoccupied with finding little knick knacks that had the name ‘Adrian’ on it to pay attention. (“Moose,  _ what _ am I going to do with a light-up keychain?” “It has your name on it! The possibilities are endless!”)

The following day saw them going to the zoo that Mustafa mentioned. All in all it was a lovely day, and after finding themselves sitting on a bench for a few moments while the others were petting the rabbits, Neville thought he had a chance. Then a nosy peacock had showed up behind him, and Neville was too on edge from the way it was staring it him to work up the nerve to say ‘I love you’.  _ I can’t escape my feud with fucking birds even when I’m on vacation. _

Then they had gone on a nature walk through a park not too far from the cabin -- one that was still surrounded by a forest, but was supposedly bear free. If it were only the two of them on this vacation, then the little bridge that hung over the creek would have been the perfect spot. With the water gently flowing below and the sounds of nature surrounding them, Neville couldn’t think of a better moment.

It wasn’t just the two of them, however, which meant that this was another excursion where Neville wasn’t able to do what he wanted to do (especially not while Daisy was chasing Jen around with the various bugs she was finding in the mud).

He couldn’t even blame Wade’s meddling for his lack of alone time opportunities -- he had stuck to his word and left Neville to his own devices, instead preoccupying himself with whatever it was that Austin was doing. Though it pained him to admit it, Neville regretted letting him do this. If anything, having Wade around would be  _ helpful _ \-- he knew that he’d be easily able to clear out a room and give Neville and Mustafa some time to themselves.  _ Why is it that no matter what I try to do with this man,  _ **_somehow_ ** _ it ends up biting me in the ass in the end? _

Neville toyed with the idea of asking him for some help, but he knew that would be difficult. He couldn’t even find a few minutes alone with his own boyfriend (other than the time they spent in their bedroom, which was  _ not _ the place he planned on telling him something so important -- especially not with the strict ‘no sexual intercourse’ rule that Austin insisted on enforcing), let alone Wade.

Regardless of Neville’s plans, the fact was that at that moment Wade wasn’t helping him, and now there he was, resting on the living room couch with Mustafa, Wade, and Austin on their final evening at the cabin. It was getting late, both Jen and Daisy having ‘gone off to bed’ (Neville was fully convinced that they were planning on staying up for the rest of the night), and it looked like the four of them would be doing the same soon.

“What time is it?” Neville asked, looking through the nearby glass doors that led to the outside deck. He could barely see a thing in the darkness.

Mustafa lazily lifted his head off his shoulder, checking the time on his phone. “Almost midnight.  _ Way _ too late to be up, since we’ve got a long drive home tomorrow,” he replied.

“Ugh, I almost forgot about that…” Wade complained.

“Nothing’s stopping you from staying here for a few more days, y’know…” Austin muttered. “I wouldn’t mind having you.”

“A fantastic idea!” Neville grinned, clapping his hands together. “Go on, Wade, stay here for another day. Or twenty.”

“Nice try. You’re not getting away from me  _ that _ easily.”

“Damn.”

Austin sat up, stretching. “We  _ should _ be getting to bed soon, though. Last thing we all need is someone falling asleep behind the wheel.” He stood up, looking to Wade. “You coming?”

“Shouldn’t we wait until the fire burns out completely?” Wade gestured to the fireplace in the corner of the room. The fire wasn’t out completely, though it looked like it wouldn’t be lit for much longer. “Don’t get me wrong, I love you all, but I don’t wanna die in a blazing inferno with you. I’d rather my final moments be something a little cooler.”

Neville snorted. “Like what, dare I ask?”

“I dunno… Shot to death via laser beam?”

As Neville raised an eyebrow at this response, Austin asked, “So the three of you’ll stay up ‘till the fire goes out, then?”

“I guess so.”

Right as Wade said that, Neville realized something, and he snapped to attention. Austin was going to bed, and Wade was debating going with him. He and Mustafa would be left alone.

This was his chance.

“Moose and I can stay up,” he quickly said. “You guys can go to bed now. We don’t mind -- right, Moose?”

Mustafa shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

“See? Don’t worry about it. Go to bed.” He shot Wade a look, silently praying that he understood what he was trying to say with that glare. Wade frowned, but he didn’t ask anymore questions -- and why would he want to, seeing as Neville and Mustafa staying awake meant that he could finally go and rest?

“Whatever you say.” Wade got up, putting an arm around Austin. “Night, lads.”

Once everyone had said their good nights, Austin and Wade left the room, Neville waiting until their footsteps had faded away completely before pulling Mustafa closer to him. “Thank  _ God, _ they’re finally gone…”

Mustafa rested his head back down on Neville’s shoulder, grinning. “They’re probably about to go break some rules, if you catch my drift.”

“‘No fucking unless I’m the one doing the fucking’ was more or less what I got out of Austin’s little ‘adults only’ rules presentation from the other night.”

“Mm, I wish we didn’t have to leave tomorrow…” Mustafa whined. “I love it up here. I don’t wanna leave.”

“I’m glad you’re having fun.” Neville kissed the top of his head. “All I want is to see you happy.”

“Did you have fun, too?”

“Of course. Mostly because I had you with me, though.”

“Good thing I have summers off, huh?”

Only a few embers remained in the fireplace, and the room was growing dark, only a faint glow illuminating the two of them. The scene was romantic -- just romantic enough for Neville to finally say what was on his mind.

Just as he was about to, however, Mustafa interrupted him. “Wanna turn a light on or something? I can barely see.”

“You afraid of the dark, Moose? Aww… Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” He wrapped both arms around Mustafa, holding him tightly.

“I don’t need protection.” Mustafa wriggled his way out of Neville’s grasp. “I just don’t wanna hurt my eyes. Otherwise I’ll need glasses like your dorky ass.”

“Gee, thanks.” Neville nodded towards the glass sliding door. “Turn on the light for the deck, that should be bright enough.”

Mustafa stood up from the couch, walking over to the light switch on the wall. “Which one was it again?”

“Uh…” Neville vaguely remembered Austin mentioning which one it was, but he’d be damned if he could recall what he said. “Try the one on the far left.”

Mustafa did as he was told, and he turned it on, instead switching on the overhead living room light. It surprised Neville, who covered his eyes, which were hurting from the sudden brightness. “Turn that off!” He hissed, trying to keep his voice down so as to not wake the others with their stupidity.

“Sorry, sorry!” Mustafa replied, hurriedly shutting the light off and trying the next switch. “Ah.” Neville still had his eyes covered, but he assumed from this comment that Mustafa had finally found the right light.

“It’s about time.” Neville was giving his eyes one last rub when he heard Mustafa say something under his breath.

“B… Bear?”

“Hmm?” Was that supposed to be a new pet name for Neville or something? “What is it?”

“Bear.”

“What?”

“Bear!!” Before Neville could properly register what was going on, Mustafa was off and running, and he dived on top of him, nearly crushing Neville in the process.

“What do you mean?” Neville managed to shove him off, but Mustafa still held his arm tightly.

“Bear…” He once again said, pointing towards the glass door. Neville followed his gaze, and his jaw dropped when he saw what he was talking about.

There was a large black bear staring at them.

_ Well, fuck. _

“Jesus!!” Neville gasped, and Mustafa held him even tighter. The bear seemed just as surprised as they were, and without hesitation it turned around and ran towards the treeline, footsteps booming on the wood of the deck, disappearing almost as quickly as it appeared. Neville quickly got off of the couch, running towards the door.

“What are you doing?!” Mustafa’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

“Checking to make sure the door is locked, obviously!” He replied.

“What, do you think it’s gonna try opening it?! Like a bear’s gonna see the door is locked and think ‘Well, shit, not gonna get in there any time soon!’?!”

“Shush!”

The latch on the door was secure, and after taking a quick look at the front door in the other room Neville was able to determine that they were in the clear. No bears would be breaking in that night (hopefully).

He returned back to the living room, finding a very visibly shaken Mustafa curled up on the couch. “Moose?” Neville asked, concerned, sitting next to him. Mustafa latched on to him almost immediately. “He’s gone, don’t worry about it.”

“I-I wasn’t expecting that…” Mustafa breathed out, swallowing. “He scared the shit out of me.”

“I can tell.” Neville started to stroke his hair, gently. “It’s alright, though. We scared him off. He’s not gonna come back.”

“Did you hear those footsteps? That was a  _ really _ big bear. Imagine the damage he can do with those paws?” Slowly, a smirk had begun to work its way across Mustafa’s face. “I can’t  _ bear _ the thought.”

Neville blinked at him, and he let out a deep sigh through his nose, shaking his head. “You really just said that, didn’t you?”

“Oh, I did. Hey, if my puns are so un _ bear _ able, then you shouldn’t have invited me on this vacation.”

“Stop that!”

“I’m being  _ bear _ -y annoying, aren’t I?”

“Weren’t you afraid only a few seconds ago? Can we go back to that time? So that I don’t have to listen to your silly jokes anymore?”

“ _ Bear _ with me for a little bit, Nev, and let me have some fun!”

“Only  _ I _ would fall in love with a man obsessed with puns.”

Mustafa’s giggles came to a stop, and he looked at him, Neville’s stomach clenching once he realized that he  _ finally _ told Mustafa that he loved him. It came out so easily, so  _ naturally _ , that he hadn’t even noticed at first.

Something else that came about very naturally was the fear that Neville suddenly felt.

“You love me?” Mustafa asked, sounding oddly unsure.

“I-- Well… Yes, I do. I love you.” It sounded even more genuine now that he’d said it a second time. “Why are you so shocked?”

“It’s just…” He clicked his tongue. “No guy’s ever told me that and  _ meant it _ before. I’ve never been in a serious relationship like this. Wasn’t sure I’d ever be in one.”

“Oh…” Neville thought back to when Mustafa had first told him about the last boyfriend he’d had -- the one who cheated on him. He had mentioned something about their relationship being serious, and Neville had assumed there was talk of loving each other. Knowing how it all ended, Neville knew that clearly this ex didn’t mean a damn word he said, and he’d broken Mustafa’s heart.

And suddenly, Neville was overwhelmed with the urge to punch something.

“I truly do mean it when I say that I love you, Mustafa,” Neville said, intertwining their fingers. “You mean so much to me, and to the kids, and I… don’t know what I’d do without you. You’ve made my life so much better.”

“Nev…” Mustafa looked lost for words. “You mean a lot to me, too. I can’t even begin to imagine not being with you. And both the kids and Wade have been so welcoming of me, I really feel like I’m apart of your little family.”

“Because you are, Moose.”

“I…” He seemed stuck again, but the words that he  _ did _ manage to say were the ones that Neville had been waiting so long to hear.

“I love you, too.”


	15. Sparklers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3

“Okay, list check!” Neville announced to Jen and Daisy, who were standing in front of him with their respective lists of school supplies. He was looking inside of both of their backpacks, which were sitting on kitchen chairs, and naming off what he saw. “So we’ve got notebooks, folders, pens, pencils -- anything I’m missing?” 

The two girls looked over the lists, wordlessly. It was obvious from the looks on their faces that they were  _ not _ happy about having to do this, which Neville understood completely -- no child liked going back to school after months of doing nothing but relaxing. After staying up  _ way _ past their bedtimes and getting so used to the late hours, they were nowhere near ready to go back to the dreaded 7 AM wake-up call.

And if Neville were being honest, he didn’t want them to go back either. Not only did it mean arranging rides for them in the morning, since he had to leave earlier than them, but it also meant that he’d be all alone on Fridays. With Wade working, he had no one to keep him company, which meant he was pretty much forced to actually focus on his work (and the pointless email conversations that his co-workers  _ still _ have not remembered to remove him from yet).  _ Bummer _ .

“I can think of something that’s missing…” Daisy started, sounding glum. “My stickers.”

“And my glitter pens,” Jen added, sounding equally morose.

“You guys  _ still  _ want those things?” Neville figured that they were past that phase. Nevertheless, he reached for the shopping list that was hanging on the refrigerator, grabbing the nearest pen and beginning to write on it. “Fine, I’ll get it next time I go out.”

This seemed to improve the girls’ mood a little bit, but it was clear that they were still in a bad mood. “Hey, chin up,” he said, trying to sound encouraging. “I know this sucks, but summer isn’t over yet, y’know? You’ve still got a few more weeks to go.”

“It used to be that we had a few  _ months _ left,” Jen complained. “I wanna go back in time…”

“I getcha, don’t worry.” He put a hand on each of their shoulders. “But we can’t go back in time. It sucks, but we can only go forward and take whatever life throws at us with our heads held high.”

“That’s deep, daddy.”

“Thanks, I try.”

At that moment, Wade came into the kitchen, looking far too mischievous for Neville's liking. He was holding a small box, which only made Neville even more concerned. “Hello, ladies and gentleman,” he said, putting the box down on the table and rubbing his hands together.

“Do I dare ask what you’re doing  _ this time _ ?” Neville replied, putting a hand on his hip.

“Wouldn’t you like to know…” Wade waggled a finger at him.

“...Yes, I do. Which is why I asked.”

Wade frowned. “Wise guy.” Deciding that he’d wasted enough time, Wade opened up the box. “Wait ‘till you see what  _ I’ve _ got…”

“Should I be scared? Because I am.” As he finished saying this, Wade pulled out some small, thin sticks, holding them out for everyone to see as if it were a major award.

“What’s that?” Daisy asked, so unimpressed with whatever it was that it was comical to Neville.

His amusement only lasted for a few seconds, though, as he finally realized what it was that Wade had. “Wait, is that...?” Neville took one of them from Wade’s hand, looking at it closer. “Are these sparklers?”

“They sure are!” Wade was beaming -- and now, both children were suddenly far more interested.

“Where did you even get these? Aren’t fireworks illegal?”

“Can these really be counted as fireworks?” He retorted. “I did my homework -- there’s a difference between little sparklers like these and real fireworks. Who’s gonna come arrest us over these things? And if someone  _ does _ come, I’ll just say you bought ‘em. Easy peasy.”

Neville rolled his eyes. “You didn’t answer my first question, you know. I don’t think they’re even sold in this state. How’d you even get them?”

“Let’s just say I have some… connections.” He winked.

_ Austin. His connection is Austin _ . Neville had wondered where the two of them had gone on their last date -- they  _ were _ being very secretive about it.

“I’m not saying we gotta set them all off right now,” Wade explained as he took the unlit stick from Neville’s hand and put them all back in the box, closing it again. “Even though we  _ totally _ can if you want to--”

“No.”

“Fine. Over the course of the next few weeks, though? We’re gonna be  _ very _ busy playing with these things.”

“Oh, boy…” Neville wasn’t sure what was worse -- the fact that Wade having a love life meant that he now had access to fireworks, or that the only thing that had made Jen and Daisy smile in the last few minutes was the thought of playing with them.

* * *

_ This is a bad idea. It’s a bad idea and we all know it _ .

“Okay, so how do these things work…” Wade asked as he re-opened the box of sparklers, handing one to each of the girls.

“You bought them and don’t even know how the hell they work?” Neville asked from the relative safety of the back door. “What were you  _ thinking _ ?”

“We’re smart people, Neville! Between the four of us, we’ve got the collective knowledge of two college graduates and two elementary schoolers. We’ll figure it out.”

“You’re not exactly sounding confident, Barrett…” Neville frowned, crossing his arms. “You’re gonna burn my house down, aren’t you?”

Wade snorted. “Yeah, probably. Hope you’re not too attached to anything in there.” He put the box down on the grass and held a sparkler of his own. “So now we have to light them. Nev, you got a lighter?”

“I have matches.” He shrugged. “But I don’t think you’re supposed to use those, are you?” Neville had spent a good portion of the night before doing extensive research on sparklers and the safety hazards that came along with them -- he knew that matches should  _ not _ be the go-to lighting method.

“You’re right, you’re not. Which is why I asked for a lighter.”

“Technically shouldn’t  _ you _ be the one producing this lighter? Since it was your bright idea to buy these damn things in the first place.”

“So it slipped my mind, I’m human!”

“I wanna light something on FIRE!” Daisy suddenly yelled, holding her unlit sparkler up to the sky.

“That is  _ not _ something you should aspire to do, Daisy!” Neville said back, suddenly grateful that nothing had been lit yet.

“Okay, can someone please explain to me what the  _ hell _ is going on here?”

At the sound of Mustafa’s voice, they all looked over in the direction of the yard next door, and they found the man himself looking over the fence, a confused expression on his face. “All I heard was something about lighting things on fire,” he continued. “Seems my noisy-ass neighbors are causing a disturbance again.”

“Moose, believe me when I tell you that you do  _ not  _ want to know,” Neville replied, shaking his head slowly. “It’s a very long story.”

“I’ve got time.” He rested his arms on top of the fence, cocking his head to the side with a grin. “Explain why you’re now arsonists all of a sudden.”

“I bought a bunch of sparklers, but we don’t got any way of lighting them,” Wade explained, pouting as he held up his unlit stick. “And that jerk over there by the house doesn’t wanna help us find a way to light them. Right, girls?”

At his probing, both girls did the same thing, frowning and showing off their pathetic sparklers. “Daddy’s no fun,” Daisy complained.

“Aww, come on, Nev, you’re still not letting them have any fun?” Mustafa teased, smirking at Neville.

“It’s not that I don’t want them to have  _ fun _ , I just don’t want them to hurt themselves.”

“Well, if you don’t want them to get hurt, then you’re gonna need someone to help them out. I just might have a lighter I’m willing to lend you guys if it means the kids get to have a good time. Oh, and Wade too.”

“Thank  _ God _ , I thought you were gonna leave me out for a sec.”

Neville let out a slow breath through his nose, closing his eyes for a moment and listening to the sound of the night time crickets. He knew that this was a fight he couldn’t win, especially now that Mustafa was on the opposing side. “Fine,” he said, giving in. “You all win. Come on over.”

Neville met Mustafa at the back gate a few minutes later, eyeing the little black lighter he was holding in his hands. “Why do you even have that?”

“I have a lot of candles that need to be lit. Next time you come over, we’ll have mood lighting.” He gave Neville an affectionate bop on the head before heading over to where everyone else was, Neville following closely behind him. Even with Mustafa there, he couldn’t shake the thought that this was a bad idea.

“Okay, whose am I lighting first?” He asked, looking back and forth between the two kids.  _ Poor Wade -- he’s not even in the running to go first _ .

“Mine!” “Mine!” Jen and Daisy answered simultaneously, and Neville sensed that a fight was about to break out.  _ See? Bad idea. _

“I can’t light ‘em both at the same time, so who’s it gonna be?”

Both of them glared at each other for a moment before Jen took a step back, frustratedly gesturing for Daisy to go ahead. “She can do it…”

Neville smiled fondly at her. “Very kind of you, Jen. Daze, what do you say?”

Daisy begrudgingly muttered a “Thank you…” before excitedly holding out her sparkler, bouncing on her heels as she waited for Mustafa to light it. Neville took a few steps closer to supervise this, watching as Mustafa flicked the lighter on and slowly lowered the flame down to the tip.

Within seconds, it light up, sending sparks everywhere. Seeing the look of pure joy on Daisy’s face was enough to make Neville’s smile grow even larger, his fears slowly melting away once he saw just how happy this was making her. “Daddy, can I set stuff on fire with this?!” She excitedly asked.

This, of course, was enough for Neville’s concern to take over again.  _ I should’ve known she’d ask that _ . “What? No. Just look at how pretty it is.”

“Light mine next!!” Jen hurried over to Mustafa, obviously annoyed that she’d let her sister go first (Neville’s praise for her be damned).

They all watched as Mustafa did the same for her before passing the lighter over to Wade. “I’m gonna assume you know how to use a lighter,” he said, winking.

“Damn, here I was hoping you’d light it for me…” Wade replied, which prompted a soft groan from Neville.

“Just light the damn thing, Wade,” Neville spoke up just as Mustafa handed him a sparkler of his own, holding one for himself in his other hand.

“Well?” He asked, just as Wade’s lit up. “You know you want to, Nev.”

Neville was about to object, but he knew that once again resistance was futile. It sucked being the only one left out of the fun, after all… “You can get me to do anything when you give me those eyes, you know that?” Neville said as he took the stick from him, allowing for Mustafa to set alight his and taking the lighter for himself.

“I know.”

“You’re lucky you’re cute…”

* * *

Neville wasn’t sure where the hell exactly Wade and Austin had managed to procure these sparklers, but it looked like they would be heading back there, seeing as a good chunk of them were burned on that same night.

“It was such a far drive, too…” Wade grumbled. He and Neville were sitting in a couple of lawn chairs, watching Mustafa and the kids fool around in the grass.

“Guess you’ll be going again sometime soon,” Neville replied. “God, there’s no way either one of those girls is gonna stop harassing me about getting more now that they’ve gotten a taste of it. You’ve created two little monsters, Wade.”

They both watched as Mustafa took out his phone, taking a selfie of the three of them. (“Don’t post that anywhere, I gotta make sure I look good first!!” Jen hastily said the moment after it was taken.) Neville chuckled at this. “Best friends, those three,” he commented.

“You’d better hurry up and marry that boy, Nev. I dunno how much longer these kids are gonna wanna wait.”

Neville normally would have been embarrassed by a statement like this, following up his response with a slap on Wade’s arm, but he wasn’t. This time, he smiled and said, “...I probably should.”

Wade clearly wasn’t expecting him to say that, and his eyes widened. “Wait, what was that?”

“I should probably hurry up and marry him, I mean.” Neville was entranced by how lovely Mustafa’s face looked in the glow from the sparklers, feeling a sense of warmth inside of him. “Look at how close he is with the girls. He really does look like their father right now, doesn’t he?”

Wade followed his gaze, and a smile grew on his face as well. “He does.”

“I wonder if we should make it official…”

As Daisy’s sparkler went out, she plopped down on Mustafa’s lap, begging him to light another one. “Hey, those things weren’t cheap, kid! Don’t waste ‘em all in one night!” Wade called out. Jen’s went out a moment later, and she wrapped her arms around Mustafa’s neck, asking for him to light another one for  _ her _ as well.

“Why was I ever worried that they wouldn’t accept him?” Neville sighed. He was mostly talking to himself.

“That’s a very good question.” He licked his lower lip. “You’re seriously thinking about marrying him, though?”

“I’m not saying we should do it right away or anything,” Neville explained. “We’re both so busy with work -- neither of us have time to be planning a wedding. Still, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been thinking a lot lately about what that wedding would be like…”

“I never thought I’d see the day where you’re talking about this kinda stuff. I remember when you were insisting that you didn’t wanna go meet him. Y’know, because you didn’t think you’d be all that into him.” He gave Neville a light shove.

“If I could go back in time and slap my past self in the face, I would.” Neville looked up at the night sky. “I wonder if Moose has been having these same thoughts. Our one year anniversary hasn’t even passed yet. He might think it’s too soon.”

“It’s next month, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Well…” Wade shrugged. “I’ve heard of people getting married after only a few weeks of knowing each other. I don’t think it’d be that far-fetched if you started just  _ thinking _ about marriage after a whole  _ year _ .”

Neville looked away from the sky and back to Mustafa, who was still in the same position with the girls as he was before. He was showing Jen something on his phone, explaining whatever it was animatedly. Judging by Jen’s reaction, he assumed that it was about that one show they were both into. He recalled seeing a commercial advertising its season finale -- that was probably what it was about.

Then he saw Daisy, who had completely fallen asleep right on his lap.  _ Too much excitement for one day _ . Neville mused to himself. “We should probably break for the night,” he suggested, getting to his feet. “It’s getting late.”

“You wanna come meet me downstairs?” Wade asked, also standing. “I know you -- I  _ know  _ you’re not tired just yet. You still wanna talk about this wedding thing, don’t you?”

“Hmm… Maybe.” He motioned for Wade to shush as they walked over to where Mustafa was, and he whispered, “Who’s your friend?”

Mustafa looked down at Daisy with a fond smile and, keeping his voice low, replied, “She sleeps like a rock -- Jen and I have been going  _ off _ for the last few minutes. I’m surprised she didn’t wake up.”

“That’s my girl.” Neville stroked her gently on top of her head. “We should probably bring her up to bed.”

“Sounds good. I gotta get going, too.” Mustafa took Daisy in his arms. “I can carry her upstairs, if that’s alright with you.”

“Go right ahead.” Neville could feel Wade staring at him, and he shot him a delighted look from over his shoulder.

“I’ll show you where our room is,” Jen said, and she led Mustafa towards the house.

Once they were both inside, Wade placed a hand on Neville’s shoulder, leaning down to mutter in his ear, “There goes your future husband.”

Neville didn’t reply to that, but he grinned, thoughts of what he and Mustafa would do once their anniversary rolled around filling his mind.

_ He and I need to have a serious conversation next month. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lads........ lads the next chapter is the Last One....... im getting emo


	16. Anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HHHHHHHHHHHHHH wow this is. really the last chapter of this fic, huh. thanks to everyone who's read up to this point!! it really makes me so happy to see that ppl have been enjoying as much as i enjoyed writing it

Neville and Mustafa had been discussing their anniversary plans for a little while now, but that didn’t mean that the former was any less nervous when the big day finally arrived.

If anything, his knowledge of the conversation that they would be having was making him even  _ more _ nervous. Far more than he probably should be, considering that this was supposed to be a fun day. Where he didn’t have to worry about anything.

Least of all inadvertently scaring Mustafa away, or freaking him out.

All that he needed to do was stick to his little plan, and everything should be fine. He’d been going over it in his mind for what felt like ages now. He knew what he was going to say, and he’d practiced it so many times that he’d lost count. It was fine. Everything was going to be  _ fine _ .

He hoped.

The day was set to go according to the following itinerary: First, Neville would spend a good part of his morning making proper preparations. Everything needed to be just right, straight down to his outfit. (Wade had made a comment the other day about Neville most likely dressing as a dork on his anniversary. The spiteful side of Neville was determined to prove him wrong.) Then, later that evening, Mustafa would meet up with Neville at his house and have dinner with him and the rest of the family -- something that he admittedly was unsure about. Their initial plan had been to go out someplace to eat (Neville was far more fond of fancy restaurants when it wasn’t a tacky, love-centered national holiday), but it turned out that Jen and Daisy had different plans for the two of them.

After having planned it out for weeks -- apparently  _ that _ was what they had been talking about during the nights when they’d stayed up way past their bedtimes -- they insisted that, seeing as it was such a big day,  _ they _ wanted to do all the cooking. It was their anniversary, so why should they have to pay their hard-earned money to eat out someplace? (Neville wanted to say something about how  _ he _ was the one that paid for the ingredients that they would be using to cook, but he kept that part to himself.)

And besides, Jen was on a mission to prove that she was almost an adult (“I’m almost eleven.  _ Eleven! _ That’s two ones! Not one, two!”) and could handle such a lofty task. Neville knew damn well that when she got in one of these “grown-up” modes, it was difficult to get her out of it. It was better to just let her do as she pleased. Daisy, on the other hand, was primarily going along with it just so that Jen wouldn’t be the only one getting all the attention. All-in-all, it was business as usual with them.

Neville had at first been skeptical of their idea, as leaving a couple of children in charge of cooking an entire meal was risky for many reasons -- the main one being that he wasn’t in the mood to put out any fires that evening. That, and he was in a way looking forward to going out with Mustafa so they could have some time to themselves. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with his family -- he just believed that a couple should be able to have some private time on a night that was so important to them.

They managed to wear him down enough with their begging, however, and he figured that if he could convince Wade to lend them a hand then there was nothing to worry about. There would be some form of adult supervision -- much to Jen’s annoyance, but to Neville’s relief. And, he had to admit, he was curious to see what they would come up with. Their cooking skills were very limited, and as such so was the menu. Though he was predicting disaster, part of Neville wanted to see how this would all play out.

As such, one conversation with Mustafa later, it was officially decided that their anniversary would be spent at home with those closest to them. “Let’s hope we don’t end up getting food poisoning from this, though,” Neville added.

“If we do, then it’ll definitely be a night we don’t forget, right?” Mustafa replied with a little chuckle -- a nervous one, Neville had noted.

Of course, because nothing in Neville’s life could ever be simple, there was plenty of discourse over what exactly would be made. Neither he nor Mustafa really minded and had no real preference, but it had become a big argument starter with the children -- much like  _ everything _ these days, now that he gave it some thought. Neville had received far more phone calls from home while he was at work than he’d have liked to, each one giving him a mini-heart attack and leading him to think that there was an emergency going on that required his attention.

But no, it was usually just Jen, insisting that Daisy was ‘abusing her power’ that she supposedly had by being the younger sibling, and she was trying to dictate what was cooked.

The truth was, she’d just said that she didn’t like green beans, and Jen took this as a personal attack.

* * *

From the moment that he’d woken up on the morning of the anniversary, Neville had had an odd feeling in his stomach. For the last couple of days he had been planning out exactly what he was going to say and when he would say it, so as to avoid being interrupted like he  _ always _ seemed to be. Be it by adults, children, or birds, someone or some _ thing _ always took issue with him trying to have serious conversations.

_ Not this time. _

_ Not when it’s this important. _

Checking his phone after he’d rolled out of bed, Neville saw that Mustafa had already sent him a few texts, and he smiled at the sheer amount of heart emojis that were sent along as the final message.

 

**Resident Bear Fanatic** : Happy anniversary!!

**Resident Bear Fanatic** : I love youuuuu

**Me** : Someone’s excited :)

**Me** : Happy anniversary to you too, Moose. I love you + I’ll see you later xx

 

Taking a page out of Mustafa’s book, Neville also sent an entirely heart filled message, sending it off while a little voice in the back of his mind chastised him for it. He’d never been one to overuse emojis and preferred to use his words to communicate what he wanted to say, but Mustafa was a huge fan of the little things. Every conversation they had ended with some kind of emoji, even if it didn’t exactly fit what they were talking about. Mustafa was the only one who could get Neville to start over-sending them.

_ Man, Wade was right. _

_ I really  _ **_am_ ** _ head over heels for him. _

Any hopes Neville had had for a quiet morning were dashed when he exited his bedroom and immediately heard the sounds of an argument brewing down in the kitchen. He didn’t think that the little chefs would be awake this early. Letting out a sigh, he made his way over the the stairs, Jen’s voice growing louder with every step he took. He could have easily just turned around and gone back into his room, but he knew he couldn’t leave Wade to deal with this fight all by himself.  _ They’ll maul him _ .  _ Again. _

“She doesn’t like  _ anything _ I wanna make!” He heard Jen yell, and he stopped to listen for a moment, sitting on the bottom-most step. “She’s only here to spite me!”

“Jen, be reasonable.” The next voice he heard was Wade’s. “Just because she doesn’t like something, that doesn’t mean she’s out to spite you.”

_ Wade clearly doesn’t know Daisy as well as he thinks he does _ . Neville mused to himself before going back to listening.

“But she  _ conveniently  _ hates everything that  _ I _ suggest. I bet  _ you _ could say the same thing as me, and she’d like it.”

“How do you know that?”

“When she wakes up, ask her if she wants to make a salad. Go ahead, I dare you.”

_ When she wakes up? _ Neville could have sworn she was already awake. Then again, if she  _ had _ been awake, she’d probably be defending herself right about now. Neville had to wonder if Jen was up this early to make some sort of secret preparations so that her sister didn’t try to intervene for once.

“Alright, enough of the dares,” Neville finally spoke up, standing and entering the kitchen. “There’s no need to be fighting this much over dinner. There has to be  _ something  _ that you and Daisy can agree on.”

“I’m trying to find out what that is, but she’s being so difficult!” Jen insisted, crossing her arms and pouting. “She just says no to  _ everything _ . She’s so immature. She’s almost an  _ adult _ now.”

“Jen, she’s seven.” Her birthday had only passed a few weeks ago. She’d made almost as big of a deal about it as Jen did when she turned ten -- she’d even told Mustafa that she was ‘everyone’s lucky charm’. “I get that it can be frustrating, but you gotta remember that she’s still a kid. Be patient with her.”

“She needs to grow up already! I wasn’t like that when  _ I _ was her age.”

Neville couldn’t help but give her a look that said, “Really?” at that little comment. Neville could recall many instances of her being intentionally difficult when she was Daisy’s age, but he kept that to himself, instead saying, “Try to work something out with her, please? Fighting solves nothing.”

“I’ll try…”

“Good.” He gave her a kiss on top of her head. “And I don’t want youse fighting when Mustafa comes over later.”

“Tell that to  _ her _ .”

“I’ll tell her, and I’ll tell you again, too. We all need to be clear on that.” He pointed to Wade. “You, too.”

“What?” Wade was aghast. “What did  _ I _ do to deserve a talking to? I’m just standin’ here.”

“Gee, I dunno, Mr. Interrogator. What  _ did _ you do?”

As he finished saying this, Daisy came down the stairs and entered the room, looking groggy, still in her star-studded pajamas. “Mornin’, kiddo,” Neville greeted, ruffling her already messy hair. “You’re up early. Sleep well?”

“Mm…” She replied, leaning up against him.

“Got a big day ahead of you, don’t you? You all ready for tonight?”

“Hmm…” She nuzzled her face into his side, and he gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Neville said this while keeping an eye on Wade, who now had a look on his face. Like he was just dying to ask something.

“So, kid…” He started. “I was just wondering -- did you and Jen decide on what you were gonna make tonight?” At her lazy shrug, he continued, “Have you considered… salad?”

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she looked more awake. “That’s a  _ great  _ idea!!”

Neville didn’t say anything to this. Instead, upon hearing Jen’s sharp inhale, he braced himself for round two of the morning fight.  _ And he wonders why he needs to be spoken to about being on his best behavior… _

* * *

Throughout the day, Neville couldn’t help but get a sense of deja vu.

As he went through the motions of the day, he got the feeling that he’d done all of this before -- not in the sense that this was his typical weekend routine and he was used to it, but that every single thing he did was something he’d done one other time before.

Specifically, the first time that Mustafa came over to dinner.

Just as he’d done the first time and as he’d promised to do that morning, he’d spoken to the everyone about how they should be conducting themselves that evening. Jen and Daisy were  _ still  _ fighting literally right up until they’d been sat down on the couch. And likewise, everyone had also given the same response that they had last time -- they  _ swore _ they’d be on their best behavior, and they promised that there wouldn’t be any arguments (or, in Wade’s case, impromptu interrogations) while Mustafa was visiting. They all wanted this night to go smoothly, and they wanted to make sure Neville and Mustafa had the best night possible.

And of course, just like before, they hadn’t stayed true to their word.

Neville wasn’t sure what he was expected.

Mustafa had barely been in the house for a few moments before Wade led him over to the couch, making casual conversation about this and that before launching into his latest cross-examination. Previously, he had been asking him about if he were  _ truly _ fit to be dating Neville, but since the two had been together for quite literally a year at this point he had to come up with new questions, each one increasing in terms of ridiculousness.

“Is ‘Mustafa’  _ really _ your name?”

“It’s you guys’ one year anniversary? Are you  _ positive _ it’s only been a year? Because I’m suspicious of that.”

“How old am I?” (“Wade, that has nothing to do with him! Why are you even asking that?” Neville protested.)

All Neville was able to do while this ridiculous questioning was going on was stand back and watch, growing more and more humiliated with each passing moment. Mustafa didn’t seem to mind -- in fact, he was joking around with Wade, apparently enjoying it and even firing back with a few questions of his own -- but that didn’t make Neville feel any better.  _ Why is it that whenever I tell Wade to do something, he does the exact  _ **_opposite_ ** _? _ Once again, Neville was reminded of Wade’s reaction upon being told to act appropriately.  _ He truly was genuinely shocked. _

Neville had actually gotten the feeling that the girls were  _ trying _ to keep their promise to him, but that was proving to be too difficult. In the end, they’d decided on an entirely vegetarian dinner (secretly to Neville’s relief, as he would admittedly be a little afraid to eat any meat they may have cooked -- or  _ under _ cooked, for that matter). This didn’t  _ appear _ like it would cause any controversy, and for awhile it didn’t. There was good food, good conversation, and it looked like it would be a good night as well.

That is, until Jen decided to bring up how difficult Daisy had been throughout the whole process.

“It was fun, but… I ended up doing most of the work,” she’d said, shooting a glaring her sister’s way. “Since  _ someone _ didn’t want to be a team player.”

“Jen…” Neville said as a warning, but he knew it was already too late. Nothing he said was going to work. At least he tried.

“I  _ was _ a team player!” Daisy insisted, forking clanging on the table as she tossed it down, causing everyone to jump. “Daddy, wasn’t I a team player?”

“Please just stop fighting…” As futile as it was, he was still trying to diffuse the situation. On a day as important to him and Mustafa as this, were they really about to see an all-out war? He looked at Mustafa apologetically, as he was about to witness his first real fight between the siblings.

“It took  _ Wade _ suggesting that we make something just to get you to agree!”

“Woah, don’t bring my name into this,” Wade said in his own defense. “I’m just an innocent bystander!”

“But I’m not wrong! I  _ told you  _ that she’s always trying to go against me, and I proved it! I don’t get why no one will believe me!”

“Because you are  _ wrong _ !” Daisy yelled. “I’m good!”

“You are not! If you’re so good, then why didn’t you help? You mostly just sat back and made me do all the work.”

“Because you  _ wanted me _ to. You never asked me for help because you wanted to show you’re a grown-up!”

“Ladies, we had this discussion earlier, can we  _ please _ drop it?” Neville rose his voice and attempted to speak over their yelling, but that didn’t work, and the fight continued.

Suddenly, he felt a light tap on his shoulder, and he looked at Mustafa. “You want me to help you out?” He asked. “I can take care of this.”

“Can you?”

“You’re forgetting that I’m breaking up fights between little kids on an almost daily basis whenever I’m at work. Trust me, I got this.”

Neville frowned, but he shrugged, figuring that he may as well give him a shot. He was desperate to get this fight to end, he’d try  _ anything _ . “Go ahead.”

“I’m so  _ sick _ of you!” Jen yelled, her face now red with anger. “You’re so  _ lazy _ , it’s unreal! You’re borderline  _ useless _ \--”

“ _ Jennifer _ .”

The next voice to enter the phrase was Mustafa’s, and both Neville and Wade looked at each other, stunned that the first thing he’d chosen to say was her full first name. She hadn’t been in this much trouble in ages, and the fact that Mustafa of all people was the one that said it made everything even more startling.

Jen stammered, finally now realizing that she was in big trouble for causing such a scene. “But I-- She-- It’s her fault-- You!!”

“What about me?”

“You!! Stay out of this! Don’t butt in!”

Now Neville had to say something. “Jennifer, don’t talk to him like that. That’s disrespectful.”

“He--”

“Jen,” Mustafa started. “Drop the subject.”

“But--”

“Drop. The. Subject.”

Jen had clearly had enough, and she stood up, chair nearly falling over from the force. She stormed out of the room, angry footsteps dissipating as she went up to her room. Neville sighed when he heard the door slam. “Jesus…”

Daisy hadn’t said anything since Mustafa joined the conversation, and she looked torn on whether to be upset at what happened or gleeful that Jen had been told off. Eventually, she settled on the latter, but this didn’t sit well with Mustafa either -- though he was far calmer now. “Daisy, you should’ve ignored her,” he said.

“Why’m I getting yelled at? She started it…” She moped.

“You’re not getting yelled at. I know she started it. You’re not in any trouble. But from now on, just ignore her when she tries to pick a fight over something like that, okay?”

She was still unhappy that she was spoken to, but she nodded, slumping back in her chair and going back to eating. Mustafa let out a breath, and he looked to Neville, giving him a nod of his own. “It’s handled,” he said.

“I…” Neville was still in awe. “I didn’t think you’d actually step in there like that. I’m impressed.”

“Got it down to a science.” With that, Mustafa went back to eating as well -- but it was obvious that his enthusiasm wasn’t there anymore. Neville figured that it was safe to assume he’d had enough of this family for one evening.

Suddenly, he’d lost his appetite.

* * *

“I’m just… so fucking sorry.” Neville said when he and Mustafa escaped outside to the porch following dinner -- he hadn’t even meant to swear, but he was so frustrated with how the night turned out. “I tried to talk to them before you came over, and they  _ said  _ they’d behave, but… God, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, you had no way of knowing that was gonna happen,” Mustafa replied, sounding disappointed. Neville’s heart sank. Everything that he’d been planning to do that night, what he’d been planning on asking Mustafa when all was said and done -- could he even do that anymore? The mood was sour, and when they looked back on their first anniversary all they would remember was the fight that interrupted dinner.

_ Fuck. Me. _

“I  _ should’ve _ known,” Neville argued. “They’d been fighting for the last couple of days over what to make, and they were even fighting this morning. I should’ve known that they were gonna get into another argument. All they do is fight nowadays…”

“Well… If I were you, I still wouldn’t blame yourself. You did everything right. In the end, they’re two young girls who spend a  _ lot _ of time together. Too much togetherness is bound to cause problems like this. It happens. It’s no biggie.”

“I still feel so bad. Why didn’t we agree to go out someplace instead… That’s what you wanted to do, right?”

“I… Well, yeah, I kinda did.” Mustafa shrugged. “I didn’t say anything before, but I was hoping that’s what we’d end up doing. I didn’t wanna hurt the girls’ feelings, though. But, there’s nothing we can do about it now. Can’t change the past.”

“God… Again, I’m sorry.” Neville sat down on the front step, propping his elbows on his knees and holding his face in his hands.

Mustafa sat down next to him. “Hey, chin up. Technically there isn’t any law that says we can’t still go out somewhere to celebrate. Not everyone goes out for anniversary dinner the day of -- sometimes they have to wait until they have time.”

“That’s true.” Neville recalled not only his parents, but also him and Marina doing the same thing in the past. “So you’re saying we should go out sometime soon?”

“That’s  _ exactly  _ what I’m saying.” He smooched Neville’s cheek. “We’ve earned it. Especially after tonight. Take two, next weekend. Just us.”

“I like the sound of that.”

A cool September evening breeze blew, and Neville scooted closer to Mustafa, the latter resting his head on Neville’s shoulder. Though the night had been hectic, at least they had this moment to themselves. So long as it stayed like this, then maybe Neville might have a chance…

“I mean, hey,” Mustafa started with a small chuckle, interrupting the silence, “sooner or later we can look back and laugh at all of this. And by the time our second anniversary rolls around, this’ll just be a distant memory, ya feel? Something we can all joke about.”

“Second?” Neville grinned. “You’re already thinking that far ahead?”

“Would you rather I said ‘tenth’ instead?” He winked. “Because I can easily see us having a tenth.”

“Damn, and here I was worried that you were pissed at me after what happened.”

“Never!” Mustafa waved his hand. “Your family is… something, but I love them. And I love  _ you _ . It’s gonna take a hell of a lot more than a sibling rivalry to get me to leave you, Nev.”

Neville felt warm inside. “I’m glad. And I love you too.”

Mustafa took Neville’s hand, gently rubbing his thumb along the back of it. “Man, it really  _ has _ been a whole year, huh? It honestly doesn’t feel like it..”

“Right? I still remember when Jen threw that ball over your fence.”

“And you came over to come get it. You got all tongue tied.”

“I was a  _ mess _ . I wasn’t expecting  _ this _ to answer the door.” He gestured in Mustafa’s direction, making him laugh. “I thought some angry old man had moved in.”

“I’m not angry, but I  _ am _ old, so you’re not exactly far off there.”

“You are not  _ old _ .” Neville shoved him. “We’re the same age -- if you’re old, what’s that make me?”

“You’re younger than me! You’re a spring chicken. I’m ancient.”

“I’m younger than you by, what, five months? That’s nothing. Neither of us are old.”

“...Man, you were so cute on that day, though. And when I found out that you were single, I instantly knew I had to ask you out.”

“Even though I never actually told you I was into guys before you asked.”

At that Mustafa, put a hand on Neville’s shoulder. “Nev. Trust me on this one. I  _ knew _ .”

Neville snorted. “Alright. But then Wade interrupted you right as you were about to ask…” Neville grumbled. Wade’s poor timing would be the death of him -- he was surprised he hadn’t come out to join them yet. There was still time.

“That sucked, but I  _ did _ get to ask you eventually. And you  _ did _ say yes.”

“And thank the Lord I did.” Neville squeezed his hand. “I know I told you all this before, Moose, but you’re the first guy I’ve really…  _ dated _ since my split. The date we went on was the first time I’d gone out with someone in  _ years _ . You truly did help me to rediscover how amazing it feels to love someone.”

Mustafa smiled. “I’m so glad I could do that for you.”

“I really wasn’t sure if I’d ever love anyone again after getting divorced. Not many people want to date a single parent -- they don’t want to have to deal with the children. And I was so sure I’d already met The One, I didn’t think I’d ever feel so strongly for another person. You make me so happy.”

“Aww, Nev, you’re such a softie.”

“I really am, aren’t I?” He swallowed. “And you’ve made the girls so much happier, too. I know what happened tonight was bad, but I’ve seen the way they both interact with you. I remember being so concerned after the split that they’d start to resent me for it -- they were young, but not young enough to have no idea what had happened.”

“Do you still think that way?”

“Not really. Even if I didn’t think that they resented me, things had definitely changed. Especially after Marina moved and she couldn’t come to visit them anymore, or take them out on little day trips. But ever since I’ve gotten with you and you’ve started to hang out with them, they’ve changed. Fighting notwithstanding, they’re so much happier. I really can’t thank you enough for that, Mustafa. Thank you for making my girls so happy.”

“Geez, Nev, you’re turning  _ me  _ into a softie now…” Mustafa laughed. “You have too much power.”

_ This is it. Just  _ **_do it_ ** _. _

“...Moose, I… I gotta ask you something.” Neville started, tone more serious. “And you don’t have to answer right now if you don’t want to, that’s totally fine, but I have to ask.”

Mustafa’s eyebrows rose, and it looked like there were a million different thoughts running through his mind. His boyfriend wanted to ask him a question on their  _ anniversary _ ? Right after they’d had a discussion like  _ that _ ? It was cute watching him try to figure out what Neville was going to ask. “W-What’s up, Nev?”

“Moose, would you…” He took a deep breath. “Would you… be interested in maybe moving in with us?”

The smile on Mustafa’s face grew even wider. “You want me to move in with you?”

“It doesn’t have to be tonight or anything. It can literally be whenever you want -- or, if you don’t want to at all, then that’s okay, too. Whatever you’re most comfortable with.”

Mustafa didn’t say anything for a moment. He was thinking again, licking his lower lip and letting out an awed chuckle. “Wow,” he finally said. “That’s… not what I expected to hear this evening.”

“Caught you off guard, didn’t I?”

“Would I be able to ask you a question of my own, Nev?”

“And now you’ve caught  _ me _ off guard,” Neville joked. What was this about? “Go ahead.”

“Well… This is just from what I’ve heard, but… typically, when couples start talking about moving in with one another, that usually means that… y’know, marriage is on their minds.”

“...Oh?”

“Hence why I’m now wondering…  _ Have you _ been thinking about it?”

Neville looked up at the sky, watching an airplane fly overhead. “I won’t lie, it’s definitely crossed my mind once or twice. Maybe three times. Or, four times. I think you catch my drift here.” He quirked his eyebrows up at him. “I guess you could say that I wanna marry you.”

“...And I guess you could say that  _ I _ wanna marry  _ you _ .”

Neville hadn’t done anything even remotely athletic in ages, but he truly did feel like he could start doing backflips after hearing Mustafa say that.

“But… maybe not any time soon, though?” Mustafa continued. “Weddings are super expensive. Not sure if I’m ready to put myself through all that planning just yet.”

“Neither am I,” Neville agreed.

“And besides, I want there to be a  _ real  _ engagement.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Moose. I’ll surprise you good.”

“...Who said that  _ you’ll _ be doing the proposing?” He narrowed his gaze at Neville, who mirrored his expression.

“I see how it’s gonna be…” Neither one of them could keep this staredown up for any longer than a few more seconds before they both went back to grinning. “We can put that off for now. So… about that moving in thing that I mentioned before…”

Mustafa giggled. “I didn’t forget, don’t worry.” He took both of Neville’s hands. “The answer to that question is ‘yes’. Of  _ course _ I’ll move in with you guys.”

Neville didn’t reply to that. Instead, he leaned in to kiss Mustafa, feeling more love for him in that moment than he ever had up until that point. After so much doubt, so much worrying, and so many nights of laying awake telling himself that no one would want to date him because ‘no one wants a single dad’ -- he could put all of that to rest.

Finally.

It was when they heard the sound of the front door cracking open that they pulled away, and they spotted Daisy peeking at them. Her eyes were wide, mouth agape, like she’d just witnessed something that she wasn’t meant to see. “You good, kiddo?” Neville asked as she opened the door a little wider.

“Ah… Ah?” She breathed out, looking between the two of them. “You?”

“Is… everything alright?” Mustafa asked.

“He…” She looked to Neville, pointing at Mustafa. “He said yes? You asked him, and he said yes?”

“Wha?” Neville was confused -- did she not hear the part where he said that he’d  _ move in _ ? What did she think Mustafa agreed to?

“He said yes…” After muttering this, she suddenly spun on her heel, bursting back into the house. “He said yes!! They’re getting married!! It’s happening!!”

“Oh my  _ God _ …” Neville put his face in his hands, the next thing he heard being Mustafa’s laugh. “It’s like she conveniently ignored what the question I asked you was.”

“All she needed to hear was me saying yes.” Mustafa patted Neville on the arm. Neville looked up, seeing the happy expression on his face. When Mustafa was reacting like that, how could he possibly be embarrassed?

And he looked over towards the open door, staring off in the direction that Daisy had run in. Faintly, he could hear her trying to explain to Wade that this was for  _ real _ this time -- not a false alarm, but the real deal! It was  _ totally _ a proposal! They really  _ were _ getting married!

_ Maybe we are, Daze. _

_ Maybe we are. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's that on That!! once again i just wanna thank everyone who's read this fic. this definitely won't be the last thing i ever upload about this lil family, i may or may not actually have a few more ideas for future fics involving them (one of those fics potentially featuring an engagement?? mayhaps?? ;3c)
> 
> but that admittedly won't be for a little while -- the fic im currently working on is actually gonna be Quite Angsty and definitely a change of pace from this fic dkfjhkj i hope to have a lil preview of sorts for it on here soon, hopefully within the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye out if that's the kinda thing you're interested in!!
> 
> but until then, See Ya ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> This fic will be updating weekly, so expect Ch. 2 next Friday!!


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